Method and system for identifying a kit of footwear components used to provide customized footwear to a consumer

ABSTRACT

A method, system, and computer program product used for creating a custom footwear product. The method on which the system, and computer program product are based includes inputting in a retail store information about a characteristic of a consumer that relates to the consumer&#39;s foot, and receiving in the retail store a determination of a plurality of selected pre fabricated footwear components that have been selected based the information. Also included in the method is creating in the retail store a kit of prefabricated footwear components for the customer including the identified prefabricated footwear components to be assembled into the custom footwear product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/709,792, filed on Aug. 22, 2005, the entirecontent of which is incorporated herein by reference. This applicationis related to Attorney Docket No. 275482US titled ADAPTABLE SHOE HAVINGAN EXPANDABLE SOLE ASSEMBLY, Attorney Docket No. 275483US titled METHODAND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A CUSTOMIZED SHOE, and Attorney Docket No.275485US titled METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED FOOTWEAR TO ARETAIL CONSUMER, each filed on even date herewith. The entire content ofeach of these applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a method and system forproviding customized footwear to a consumer, and more specifically to amethod and system for assembling a plurality of footwear components toprovide a custom footwear product.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND

The past several decades have seen commoditization of the footwearindustry. Indeed, economies of scale in mass manufacturing anddistribution has brought the price of footwear down to such an extentthat nearly all customers are conditioned to forgo their individualneeds and settle for standardized—off the shelf—but extremely affordablefootwear products. However, the uniqueness of individual customers stillremains, and recent indicators of a move toward customization arepresent in the footwear industry.

For example, orthotics specially manufactured based on a person'sanatomical foot dimensions are becoming more commonplace. The podiatricprofession has long obtained anatomical foot dimensions by forming aplaster casting of a patient's foot. These plaster castings are thenused to manufacture an orthotic that precisely corresponds to thedimensions of the plaster casting. However, the quality of the orthoticdepends largely on the quality of the plaster casting, which varieswidely due to variances in the technique of the physician or techniciancreating the casting. More recently, specialty retailers like FootSolutions, Inc., use computer and sensory technology to electronicallymap the anatomical foot dimensions of a customer. An orthodic is thenmilled from bulk material in accordance with the electronic map of thecustomer's foot. While this technique provides an alternative to plastercastings, milling of an orthotic insole to precisely match theanatomical foot dimensions is still required. This special manufacturingleads to greater cost to the consumer, and a substantial delay inreceiving the end product while manufacturing occurs. Moreover,orthotics that are unacceptable to the customer must be modified orre-manufactured, which leads to great delay and frustration of theconsumer. Indeed, the impulsive nature of consumers and their need totest a product on demand may be a major impediment to wide-spreadacceptance of specially manufactured orthotics.

A few shoe manufacturers have responded to the desire for customizationby providing footwear sizing systems that offer more sizing options. Forexample, New Balance offers multiple widths ranging from AA to EEEE. Theconsumer simply tries on multiple widths until the desired fit isachieved. While sizing schemes offering smaller increments of variationmay result in a better fit to some consumers, the variability is stilllargely limited to length and width dimensions. Moreover, this approachresults in substantially greater cost to the consumer. For example, NewBalance's sizing system provides complex and expensive issues of productforecasting, inventory control, auto-replenishment systems and productdesign. These factors often require product pricing that can exclude alarge population of consumers.

A further indication of the trend toward customization has been theincrease in off-the-shelf footwear inserts and supplements sold ingrocery stores, shoe repair shops, mass merchants and pharmacies. Forexample, Dr. Scholl's, a division of Schering-Plough, has developed morethan 1,000 foot-care products and reportedly has sales in excess of $159million. By some estimates, the over the counter insert and supplementindustry as a whole is grossing more than a half billion dollarsannually. However, these over the counter solutions are generallyselected by the consumer based on intuition of what product will meettheir comfort needs. However, as the source of foot problems is oftendifficult to pinpoint and solutions may be subtle, a laymen's selectionof an over the counter product without anatomical foot analysis oftendoes not lead to the desired fit. Moreover, the over the countersolutions are not typically correlated to a particular shoe style, andtherefore may not be compatible with particular shoe types. Despitetheir increase in popularity, over the counter solutions have not provento provide a level of customization that appeals to a broad base ofconsumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to address the abovedescribed and/or other problems in the footwear industry.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adaptablefootwear product that allows small increments of variability to thefootwear consumer without the need for large inventories of shoes.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a custom shoesystem that provides greater variability among functional components ofa shoe.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a customshoe system that allows a custom shoe to be made in a reasonable time ina consumer setting.

These and other objects are achieved by providing a novel method,system, and computer program product used for creating a custom footwearproduct. In one aspect of the invention, the method includes inputtingin a retail store information about a characteristic of a consumer thatrelates to the consumer's foot, and receiving in the retail store adetermination of a plurality of selected pre fabricated footwearcomponents that have been selected based the information. Also includedin the method is creating in the retail store a kit of prefabricatedfootwear components for the customer including the identifiedprefabricated footwear components to be assembled into the customfootwear product.

Another aspect of the invention includes a computer system used forcreating a custom footwear product. The system includes an input deviceprovided in a retail store and configured to input information about acharacteristic of a consumer that relates to the consumer's foot, and aprocessor provided in the retail store and configured to receive adetermination of a plurality of selected pre fabricated footwearcomponents that have been selected based the information. Also includedin the system is an output device provided in the retail store andconfigured to provide a kit of prefabricated footwear components for thecustomer including the identified prefabricated footwear components tobe assembled into the custom footwear product.

Still another aspect of the invention includes a computer system usedfor creating a custom footwear product. The system includes meansprovided in a retail store for inputing information about acharacteristic of a consumer that relates to the consumer's foot, andmeans provided in the retail store for receiving a determination of aplurality of selected pre fabricated footwear components that have beenselected based the information. The system also includes means providedin the retail store for providing a kit of prefabricated footwearcomponents for the customer including the identified prefabricatedfootwear components to be assembled into the custom footwear product.

Yet another aspect of the invention includes a computer readable mediumcontaining program instructions for execution on a computer system,which when executed by the computer system, cause the computer system toperform steps including inputting in a retail store information about acharacteristic of a consumer that relates to the consumer's foot, andreceiving in the retail store a determination of a plurality of selectedpre fabricated footwear components that have been selected based theinformation. Also performed is creating in the retail store a kit ofprefabricated footwear components for the customer including theidentified prefabricated footwear components to be assembled into thecustom footwear product.

As should be apparent, the invention can provide a number ofadvantageous features and benefits. It is to be understood that, inpracticing the invention, an embodiment can be constructed to includeone or more features or benefits of embodiments disclosed herein, butnot others. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the preferredembodiments discussed herein are provided as examples and are not to beconstrued as limiting, particularly since embodiments can be formed topractice the invention that do not include each of the features of thedisclosed examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a custom shoe in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 a through 2 d show shoes having different shaped contour linesof the elastic portion in accordance with different embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing an insole having rigid expansioncomponents in relation to an adaptable sole assembly in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b show bottom planar and cross sectional views of a soleassembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b show bottom planar and cross sectional views of a soleassembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b show bottom planar and cross sectional views of a soleassembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows an insole and sole assembly in relation to a plurality offootwear components, which can be assembled into a custom shoe inaccordance with an embodiment with the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows an insole having various durometer hardness segments inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 9A and 9B show a bottom and medial side view respectively of aninsole assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 10A and 10B show a bottom and medial side view respectively of aninsole assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a shoe having footwear componentsattached to the shoe upper in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 12 shows a plurality of pre-manufactured arch supports that may beused to provide a custom shoe in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 13 shows a plurality of pre-manufactured heel pads that may be usedto provide a custom shoe in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a process for providing customized footwearin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a computerized system for providing customized footwear to aconsumer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 shows a measuring station that may be used in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is an optical foot scanning device that may be used as the footmeasuring device in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 18 shows a measuring station that may be used in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 19 a, 19 b and 19 c show data structures that may be used toprovide a custom shoe in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a flowchart explaining an in-store process for providingcustom shoes in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 illustrates a computer system upon which an embodiment accordingto the present invention may be implemented;

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of a computer process for obtaining informationrelating to a consumer's foot in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 23 is a flow chart of a computer process for determining aplurality of pre manufactured footwear components in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 24 is a flow chart of a process for assembling a custom footwearproduct in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 isan illustration of a custom shoe in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention. As seen in this figure, the shoe includes a shell10 and an insole 30. The shell 10 includes an upper portion 100 and asole assembly 200 that are joined to one another to form a shell cavityinto which the insole 30 is placed, as depicted by the arrow in FIG. 1.The upper portion 100 includes upper segments 103, 105, 107, 109, 111and 113 that are joined together to form the upper portion 100 as anintegral unit. As seen in FIG. 1, the portions 103, 105, 107, 109 and113 can be joined to their adjacent portions by stitching 115, butadhesive or other known joining methods may be used. The upper segments103, 105, 107, 109 and 111 are preferably made of durable sheets ofnon-elastic material such as leather, canvas, synthetic material or anyother upper material known in the art of shoes. In the embodiment ofFIG. 1, however, the segment 113 connected between segments 103 and 105is made of an elastic material such as a nylon mesh or any knownflexible fabric. As used herein, the terms “elastic” and “non-elastic”are defined in the sense that a non-elastic material does not stretchwhen subjected to the same forces that would stretch the elasticmaterial. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 1 the segments 103 and 105 canseparate from one another to allow expansion and adaptability of theupper portion 100 when a foot is placed into the shoe.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the elastic portion113 is joined to upper segments to provide a predetermined contour linethat is associated with a characteristic of the wearer. FIGS. 2a through2d are perspective views of shoes having different shaped contour linesof the elastic portion 113 in accordance with different embodiments ofthe present invention. As seen in FIG. 2 a, the shoe shell 10 includesthe elastic portion 113 joining upper segments 103 and 105, aspreviously shown in the side view of FIG. 1. The contour line runs froma toe area on a front portion of the shoe, extending toward a heel areaof the shoe terminating at a middle longitudinal part of the shoe toprovide a substantially longitudinal contour line that allows expansionand adaptability of the shoe upper. As also seen in FIG. 2 a, alongitudinal contour line is provided on both a medial and lateral sideof the shoe. The present inventors have recognized this configuration ofthe longitudinal contour lines provides flexibility characteristics thatare well suited for a walking shoe.

As seen in FIG. 2 b, a shoe 150 includes an elastic portion 151 joiningsegments of the shoe upper. In this embodiment, the elastic portion 151has a contour line shaped as a wishbone. Specifically, the elasticportion 151 includes a first part 151 a that extends from a middle toeregion of the sole assembly 159 to join segments 153 and 155. Theelastic portion 151 then divides into separate parts 151 b and 151 cthat extend from part 151 a to lateral and medial sides of the shoe 150.In a preferred embodiment, the parts 151 b and 151 c terminate atopposing sides of the sole assembly 159 in a middle region of the shoe150. The present inventors have recognized that such a wishbone contourline provides flexibility characteristics suitable for a running shoe.

As seen in FIG. 2 c, a shoe 160 includes an elastic portion 161 joiningsegments of the shoe upper. In this embodiment, the elastic portion 161has a contour line that begins at a toe region of the sole assembly 163on a lateral side of the shoe 160, and traverses the upper portion ofthe shoe 160 to terminate at a middle region of the sole assembly 163 ona medial side of the shoe 160. The present inventors have discoveredthat such a transverse contour line provides flexibility characteristicssuitable for a tennis shoe.

As seen in FIG. 2 d, a shoe 170 includes a plurality of elastic portions171 that extend longitudinally along the shoe 170 and are arranged in anarray 173. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 d, the elastic portions 171 at atop portion of the array 173 have a longer length than elastic portionsat a bottom region of the array adjacent to the sole assembly 175. Thepresent inventors have recognized that such an array contour lineprovides flexibility characteristics suitable for an all purpose shoe.

Thus, FIGS. 2 a-2 d show various contour shapes of the elastic uppersegment, which provide different flexibility features that can bematched to a characteristic of the wearer, such as the intended use ofthe shoe. While the examples of FIGS. 2 a-2 d describe these contourlines as corresponding to the wearer characteristic of shoe use, otherwearer characteristics such as age, weight or foot size, for example,may be a consideration in determining the contour lines.

As noted above, in one aspect of the present invention, a contour lineof the flexible segment of the upper is selected in consideration of theactivity that the wearer will use the shoe for (this may be considered acharacteristic of the wearer). For example, the present inventors haverecognized that the symmetry of motion during walking is front and back,and not much side to side in part due to the fairly even terrainencountered during walking. Therefore the contour line of a walking shoedescribed above is set to be very symmetrical across it.

Tennis, on the other hand, requires a great deal of left to right forcesversus front to back, although both are done. Taking this intoconsideration, the flexible segment can be designed such that certainareas of the upper do not flex and get lose in the shoes. However, asone pivots and drives in tennis, the flexible segments can be arrangedaround the bony structure so that they always are holding your foot witha given amount of retention. For example, as the foot goes through thesehuge dynamic changes in tennis, the wearer's little toe gets pressed outbecause the foot is twisting on it. Most other shoes don't forgive inthat area and the upper winds up being torn from the midsole. In oneaspect of the present invention, the contour lines of the flexiblesegment can be tuned and placed to provide a little bit of stretch inthis stress area so that the shoe is less likely to tear.

The above example is provided only for the contour lines of the flexiblesegment of the upper, however, this concept can be applied to otherfootwear components of the present invention, such as the deformablemember discussed below. That is, key areas of the activity beingperformed such as propulsion, turning, torque, twisting, etc. may beconsidered for a given activity, and a footwear component can be matchedto that activity. By providing a multiple component shoe, for example,the present invention can tune those key areas to the needs of the forceby having them flex and contract in wanted areas or make sure certainareas do not flex and contract to put the foot in an adverse athletic orinjury configuration because of the placement of those channels.

Returning to FIG. 1, the sole assembly 200 of shell 10 includes an outersole 201, a middle sole 203 and sidewall portions 205. As shown by thebrackets in FIG. 1, the sole assembly 200 includes a front section 207for supporting a forefoot of the wearer's foot, and a back section 209for supporting a heel of the wearer's foot. In the front and backsections of the sole assembly 200, the outer sole 201 is preferablyimplemented as a layer of deformable rubber material that contacts theground when the shoe is in use. The outer sole also preferably includestreads that are designed to grip a variety of ground surfaces. In oneembodiment, the outer sole 201 may be implemented as interchangeabletread segments uniquely designed for a particular ground surface orapplication, as will be further described below.

The middle sole 203 is provided in the front section 207 as a relativelythin layer of material having a substantially uniform thickness. Thisfront section of the middle sole 203 is preferably a rigid but bendablelayer of plastic material that supports the insole 30 when placed in theshoe, and provides a durable base for attachment of the outer sole 201.The middle sole 203 is provided in the back section 209 as a relativelythick contoured member. This back section of the middle sole 209 ispreferably made of a foam material that provides rigidity as well asdeformation properties to cushion the wearer's heel on impact duringuse. The sole assembly 200 also includes sidewalls 205 that extendupward from a plane formed by the middle sole so as to overlap toe,heel, and/or side surfaces of the upper portion 100 to reinforce abottom region of the upper portion 200. In the embodiment of FIG. 1,sidewalls on the toe and heel region are provided by extending themiddle sole 203 to wrap upwards onto the toe and heel regions. Thesidewalls 205 are preferably made of a rigid material that substantiallymaintains its structural relationship to the sole assembly 200 when thesole assembly 200 is under stress.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the insole 30 includes main member 305,expansion member 310, and arch support 320. In the embodiment of FIG. 1,the main member 305 includes recesses 315 and 325 configured to receiveexpansion member 310 and arch support 320 respectively. The expansionmember 310 and arch support 320 are shown fixed to their respectiverecesses, but these components may be separable from the shoe. Theexpansion member 310 and/or arch support 320 are preferably made of arigid material that bends with the wearer's plantar region while theshoe is in use, but maintains length and width dimensions within theshoe cavity. In one embodiment rigid components, such as the expansionmember 310 or arch support 320 of the insole 30, are used to expandwidth and/or length of a sole assembly in order to adapt the soleassembly to a particular wearer.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing an insole having rigid expansioncomponents in relation to an adaptable sole assembly. In FIG. 3, theupper portion of the shoe is omitted for clarity. In the embodiment ofFIG. 3, the expansion member 310 and arch support 320 are separable fromthe main member 305. Specifically the expansion member 310 fits withinrecess 315 and may be held therein by friction fit or adhesion, forexample, although adhesion may permanently fix the expansion member 310within the recess and prevent this component from being replaced. Thearch support 320 includes an attachment aperture 323 that engages a tab327 mounted within the recess 325 of the main portion 305. The aperture323 and tab 327 allow the arch support 320 to be attached and detachedfrom the main portion 305. As shown in FIG. 3, the expansion member 310and arch support 325 extend across a full width of the insole 30 suchthat at least a portion of a side edge of these components provides anoutward expansion force on sidewalls 205 of the sole assembly 200.

The sole assembly 200 includes outer sole portion 201 implemented astread patterns mounted on a ground facing surface of the middle soleportion 203. The tread portions are configured to allow the soleassembly to grip the ground when the shoe is in use. As also seen inFIG. 3, the sole assembly 200 includes a first sole segment 220 and asecond sole segment 230 joined to one another by a deformable member225. The deformable member 225 allows the first and second sole segments220 and 230 to move away from one another and expand the sole assembly200 when an expansion force is applied to the sole assembly. Deformablemember 235 similarly joins segments 230 and 240. As noted, the expansionforce may be provided by a rigid member, such as the expansion member310 and/or arch support 320 provided within the shoe. However, expansionmay also be provided by the wearer's foot based on a size of the foot,or based on forces exerted on the insole during activities such asrunning or tennis. In this regard, a deformable member that extends in aline running in a longitudinal direction of the shoe will generallyallow expansion of the sole assembly in a width direction, while adeformable member extending in a transverse line will generally allowexpansion in a lengthwise direction of the shoe. The present inventorshave recognized that a line of the deformable member can be contoured tooptimize the expansion properties to a particular characteristic of thewearer, such as the sport in which the shoe will be used.

FIG. 4 a is a bottom planar view showing contour lines of the deformablemember in the sole assembly of FIG. 3. The outer sole portion 201 isomitted from a front region of the sole assembly for clarity. As seen inFIG. 4 a, the sole assembly 200 is divided into a front segment 220, amiddle segment 230 and a heel segment 240. These segments are preferablymade of a substantially non-deformable material while deformable members225 and 235 are made of a deformable material. As used herein, the terms“deformable” and “non-deformable” are used in the sense that a materialis non-deformable if it does not undergo modification when subjected tothose same forces that would deform the deformable material.

The front segment 220 has an elongated horseshoe shaped edge 221 thatflares at its ends towards lateral and medial sides of the sole assembly200. Middle segment 230 has an edge 231 substantially conforming to theedge 221, and deformable member 225 joins the edges 221 and 231 to oneanother. Thus, the deformable member 225 has a contour line that is anelongated horseshoe shape that terminates on opposing points of lateraland medial sides of the sole assembly 200. The deformable member 235 isshaped as a shortened horseshoe contour to similarly join middle segment230 to heel segment 240. The present inventors have recognized that thisconfiguration of deformable members is well suited to provide theexpansion and adaptability suitable for a walking shoe.

As seen in cross-sectional FIG. 4 b, the deformable member 225 isimplemented as a U-shaped member, the ends of which are connected tosegment 220 and segment 230. With this configuration, opposing outwardforces applied to the segments 220 and 230 can cause the U-shaped memberto flatten thereby allowing the segments 220 and 230 to move away fromone another and expand the sole assembly in a width and lengthdirection. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 b, the U-shaped member isintegral with the segments, 220 and 230, however, separate pieces may beused. For example, opposing ends of the U-shaped member may includeflanges that mate with the segment edges 221 and 231. Moreover, thedeformable member may be implemented in any known way for allowing theadjoining sole segments to move away from one another. PatentApplication Serial Number PCT/IT 2005/000075, filed on Feb. 15, 2005,titled SHOE WITH ADJUSTABLE SOLE shows a variety of differentconfigurations of the deformable member which may be used in accordancewith the present invention. The entire content of this PCT Applicationis incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 5 a is a bottom planar view showing contour lines of a deformablemember of a sole assembly in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention. As seen in this figure, the sole assembly is dividedinto segments 501, 503, 505, 507 and 509 by a plurality of contour linedeformable members. Deformable member 511 joins segments 501 and 503along a contour running longitudinally from a toe portion to metatarsalregion of the sole assembly, and extending in a transverse directionterminating on a lateral side of the sole assembly. Deformable member513 joins segments 503 and 505 along a contour having a substantiallyhemispherical shape that surrounds the metatarsal ball area. Deformablemembers 515 and 517 run substantially in a transverse direction at amiddle arch region and a heel region of the sole assembly respectively.As seen in cross-sectional FIG. 5 b, the deformable member 517 isimplemented as a bulging member that protrudes toward an interior of theshoe. The present inventors have recognized that the combination ofcontoured deformable members shown in FIG. 5 a provides expansion andadaptability suitable for a tennis shoe.

As also seen in FIG. 5 a, sole segments 501, 503, 505, 507 and 509 mayhave different tread types. The present inventors have recognized thatvarying tread types among sole segments can provide optimal grip for agiven area of the sole assembly. Moreover, an optimal tread type may bedifferent for different sports activities. In one embodiment, one ormore treads of the different segments may be changed as will bedescribed below.

FIG. 6 a is a bottom planar view showing contour lines of a deformablemember of a sole assembly in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention. As seen in this figure, the sole assembly is dividedinto segments 601, 603, 605, and 607 by a continuous deformable member610. The deformable member 610 includes a main branch 611 that joinssegment 605 with each of segments 601, 603 and 607. Further, asubstantially longitudinal branch 613 joins segments 601 and 603 at atoe region of the shoe, and a substantially transverse branch 615 joinssegments 603 and 607 at a lateral middle region of the shoe. As seen inFIG. 6 b, the deformable member 610 in the main branch region 611 isimplemented as a U-shaped member having flanges 621 and 623 that arejoined to laminated segments 603 and 605. The present inventors haverecognized that the contoured deformable member shown in FIG. 6 aprovides expansion and adaptability suitable for a running shoe. As withthe embodiment of FIG. 5 a, the tread type may differ among segments asshown in FIG. 6A.

Thus, FIGS. 4 a, 5 a and 6 a show different contours of the deformablemember, which provide different expansion and adaptability features thatcan be matched to a characteristic of the wearer, such as the intendeduse of the shoe. While the examples of FIGS. 4 a, 5 a and 6 a describethe different configurations of the deformable member as correspondingto the wearer characteristic of shoe use, other wearer characteristicssuch as age, weight or foot size, for example, may be considered indetermining a configuration of the deformable member. As noted above,the contour line of a deformable member may be selected based on theactivity of the wearer in a similar fashion as the contour of theflexible upper segment.

As discussed above, an insole may include footwear components such as anexpansion member and arch support that allow length and widthadaptability of a sole assembly in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. However, the present inventors have recognized thatsuch length and width adaptability alone may not provide the degree ofcustomization desired by consumers. In accordance with one aspect of thepresent invention, a plurality of footwear components can be combined toprovide a shoe customized for a particular person. FIG. 7 shows aninsole and sole assembly in relation to a plurality of footwearcomponents, which can be assembled into a custom shoe in accordance withan embodiment with the present invention.

As seen in FIG. 7, the insole 700 includes a main part 700 having a topsurface that includes a recess 360 for accommodating a toe crest 365 anda recess 350 for accommodating a metatarsal head shelf 355. The toecrest 365 is shown as a tube running along the top surface of thedigital sulcus area of a wearer's plantar region. The toe crest 365relaxes the foot and allows a better toe grip to aid in propulsion, andcan assist in buttressing hammer toe and mallet toe deformities. In apreferred embodiment, the toe crest 365 is a 3 millimeter diameter tubethat is placed along digits two, three and four and tapers at the fifthdigit of the wearer's foot. However different sizes and configurationsof the toe crest may be used to accommodate a characteristic of thewearer. Moreover, the hardness of the toe crest may be varied inaccordance with the needs of the wearer.

The metatarsal head pressure shelf 355 is a pad that extendstransversely across the insole in a region of the metatarsal heads ofthe wearers foot. As seen in FIG. 7, the medial side of the shelf 355advances towards the toes and the lateral side advances toward the heel.In a preferred embodiment, an axial center line of the metatarsal headpressure shelf 355 bisects a longitudinal center line of the insole toform an angle of approximately 74 degrees. This assures that thepressure shelf 355 is placed at a same angle as the metatarsal heads ofmost feet. The metatarsal head pressure shelf can function to improvefirst ray (medial cuniform—first Metatarsal and Hallux) stability,improve propulsion and reduce lesser metatarsal pressures. In oneembodiment, the metatarsal head pressure shelf 355 is a constantrelatively soft durometer which can improve reactive ground impactagainst the metatarsal heads. In another embodiment, the metatarsal headpressure shelf 355 can have a variable durometer hardness. In oneexample a graduated hardness is used across the fifth metatarsalphalangeal joint to the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint. This variabledurometer pressure shelf will act as a functional forefoot varus wedgeto improve propulsion and reduce pronation of the wearer's foot.

In still another embodiment, the metatarsal head pressure shelf 355 canbe dimensioned as a mild varus wedge. In a preferred embodiment, themetatarsal pressure shelf 355 is approximately 2 millimeters higher atthe first metatarsal head and tapers towards the fifth metatarsal head.This structure creates a wedge angle that tilts the wearer's foottowards the lateral side at initial impact, which reduces pronation ofthe foot. While the metatarsal head pressure shelf 355 is shown as aninsert in a top surface of the main part 705, the metatarsal headpressure shelf may be implemented as an attachment to the bottom surfaceof the insole 700. In one embodiment, the expansion number 310 of FIG. 1may be thicker on a medial side and taper towards a lateral side toprovide the forefoot varus wedge discussed above.

In addition to the top surface components, insole 700 includes ametatarsal rise 340, arch support 350, heel insert 330 and heel clip 380formed on a bottom surface of main part 705. As seen in FIG. 7, themetatarsal rise 340 is received within a recess 345 that is positionedrearward of the metatarsal head pressure shelf 355. The metatarsal rise340 provides a slight bulge in a top surface of the insole 305. Inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the metatarsalrise 340 is positioned at an apex of the proximal third metatarsal headto lift lesser metatarsal shafts and reduce pressure by improved weightbearing across the second, third and fourth metatarsal heads. Thisconfiguration can reduce metatarsalgia and neuroma symptoms. As withother footwear components, the size, shape and composition of themetatarsal rise 340 may be changed in accordance with the characteristicwith the wearer.

Arch support 350 includes an aperture 351 that mates with tab 353 toattach the arch support 350 to the main part 705 of insole 700. Unlikethe arch support 320 of FIGS. 1 and 3, the arch support 350 does notextend a full width of the insole 700 and therefore is not designed toexpand the sole assembly as previously discussed. However, as with thearch support 320, the arch support 350 supports the longitudinal arch ofthe planter region to assist in reducing pronation of the foot onimpact, and improves propulsion by selectively increasing arch heightwhile acting to support the metatarsal joints and first ray during themidstance and propulsive phases of gait. As with arch support 320,proper selection of support 350 can result in less arch pain, longerstanding, running and less injuries. In one embodiment of the presentinvention a size, shape, positioning and firmness of the arch supports320 and 350 is selected in accordance with the characteristic of thewearer.

Heel insert 330 fits within recess 335. The insert 330 provides a softdurometer surface that reduces planter calcaneal burso and heel spurtype syndromes, which are common. In one embodiment, heel spuraccommodation may be implemented as a flared center hole in the heelseat of the main part 705. The heel insert 330 is designed to have adual function. First, the insert can be left in member 705 as a defaultmember to reduce pressure at the plantar calcaneous to assist inreducing minimal to moderate pressure. In addition, the 330 member canbe removed to allow for moderate to high loading pressures. The heelspur accommodation is an excellent feature for golf and therapeuticwalking. A size, shape and composition of the heel insert 330 and/orheel spur hole may be varied in accordance with characteristics of thewearer.

As also seen in FIG. 7, heel clip 380 is a substantially planar partthat mounts to a bottom surface of the main part 705 in a heel area ofthe insole 700. The heel clip 380 is preferably a rigid material thattraverses an entire width of the heel area of the insole 705. Thus, theheel clip 380 may be used to provide an outward force on sidewalls ofthe sole assembly to expand and adapt the sole assembly as previouslydiscussed. In addition, the heel clip 380 is structured to provide anoptional rear foot varus wedge to improve heel strike and help toalleviate heel pain syndromes. In one embodiment, the heel clip 380 isthicker in a medial region and tapers towards a lateral region of theheel to create a 2-3 degree varus wedge angle. This structure promoteslateral mass migration thus reducing rear foot and mid-foot pronation.While shown as a separate piece in FIG. 7, the rear foot varus wedge maybe a pre-molded portion of the insole 305. In this embodiment, thedurometer hardness of the rear foot varus wedge may be varied across asurface of the heel region.

Footwear components may also be attachable to the sole assembly 200. Forexample, the present inventors have recognized that different treadconfigurations may be preferable to accommodate differentcharacteristics among wearers. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, a fronttread segment 270 attaches to a tread area 250 of the sole assembly 200,while a rear tread segment 275 attaches to a tread region 260 of thesole assembly 200. These tread segments may be permanently attached totheir respective tread areas of the sole assembly by adhesive, or may beseparably attached using fasteners that are well known in the art ofsports shoes. While FIG. 7 shows the tread as two portions, a singletread covering the bottom of the sole assembly 200 is possible, ormultiple tread portions such as those discussed in FIGS. 5 and 6 may beused. As with other footwear components, the size, shape, location andmaterial composition of the tread portions 270 and 275 can be changed tomatch a characteristic of the wearer. Tread portions 270 and 275 may beselected based on the type of sport (e.g., tennis, running, sailingetc.) different type of surface (e.g. tennis on grass versus asphalt),weight of the wearer (e.g. heavy people generally require lessfriction), age and/or playing ability, for example.

While FIG. 7 shows footwear components that are separable from the shoestructure, footwear components may me integrally formed with the shoe.For example, one or more of the footwear components shown attached tothe insole 705 may be integrally formed with main part 705 of the insole700. In this embodiment, interchangeable insoles can be pre-manufacturedeach with a different combination of footwear components integrallyformed therein. For example, one insole may include an arch support,metatarsal head pressure shelf and metatarsal rise integrally formedtherein and specifically designed to accommodate a heavy person, while aseparate insole has these components integrally formed therein butspecifically designed to accommodate a lighter person. In oneembodiment, the insole may include a plurality of footwear componentscompletely integrated therein, and separable components may be providedon the sole assembly or upper portion of the shoe. In anotherembodiment, the insole includes different durometer hardness regionsintegrally formed therein, while structural components such as archsupport, heel clip and/or expansion number are attachable to the insole.

FIG. 8 shows an insole having biomechanically placed variable durometerhardness portions in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. As seen in this figure, the insole 800 includes a toe portion801, a medial metatarsal portion 803 and a lateral metatarsal portion805. Also included is a middle foot portion 807 having a region 809 forreceiving an arch support. A heel area of the insole 800 includes amedial heel portion 811 and a lateral heel portion 813. According to oneembodiment, variable durometer hardness among these regions of theinsole can provide pressure gradients that maximize foot comfort andrelief of symptoms by focusing on the ergonomics of foot function. Forexample, the medial metatarsal phalangeal region 803 can provide agreater durometer hardness than the lateral metatarsal region 805.Similarly, the medial heel portion 811 can provide a greater durometerhardness than the lateral heel portion 813. Such a change in durometerhardness would enable the first and second rays to better resistpronation during the midstance phase of gait and better assist in thepropulsion of weight transfer during the propulsive phase of gait. Thisconfiguration provides a pressure gradient that minimizes pronation ofthe foot upon impact. The toe portion 801 and the middle foot portion807 may also include suitable durometer hardnesses, and the area 809 maybe specifically configured to receive an arch support. Adding a higherdurometer hardness in element 801 improves digital propulsion while in807 it helps to support the arch and resist pronation.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, portions of theinsole can be configured to adapt to the wearer's foot. For example, PCTApplication No. PCT/IT2005/000071 filed on Feb. 14, 2005 and titled“SHOE HAVING AN INNER ADAPTABLE SURFACE ON WHICH THE WEARER'S FOOTRESTS” discloses a shoe sole having a first container containing a firstreagent material comprising one phase of a two phase resin foam productand a second container containing a second reagent material defining thesecond phase of the two-phase synthetic resin foam product. The secondregion preferably fits within a void or depressed area defined withinthe first container such that when the second container breaks underpressure, the second phase reagent material mixes with the first reagentmaterial to cure the resin foam product to a contour of the wearer'sfoot. The entire content of PCT/IT2005/000071 is incorporated herein byreference. Alternatively, the adaptable surface can be implements asmicrobeads or chambers containing reagents for curing a resin.

FIGS. 9 a and 9 b show bottom and medial side views respectively of aninsole assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. As seen in these figures, the insole assembly 900 includes amain part 905 having dimples 907 formed therein. The main part 905 ispreferably a foam material configured to aid in cushioning the wearer'sfoot upon impact, and also serves as a core to which footwear componentsare attached. The insole assembly of FIGS. 9a and 9 b includes anexpansion member 910 that is provided within a recess 915 on the mainmember 905. The expansion member 910 may be permanently fixed to therecess 915 by adhesives, or may be separably attached to recess 915 by afriction fit or other suitable attachment mechanisms. As noted withrespect to FIG. 1, the expansion member 910 is a rigid member that canprovide expansion and adaptability of a sole assembly in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

The insole assembly 900 also includes an arch support 920 providedwithin a recess 925 in the main part 905. The arch support 920 isattached to the main part 905 by way of attachment tab 927. As best seenin FIG. 9 b, the arch support 920 is shaped in correspondence to alongitudinal arch of planter region of a wearer's foot. As previouslydiscussed, the arch support is made of a rigid material to support thewearer's longitudinal arch, and may also function to expand a soleassembly in a width direction in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. The main part 905 includes a heel pad 930 provided within arecess 935 in the main part 905. The heel pad 930 provides a softcushioning surface for the wearer's heel upon impact.

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b show bottom and medial side views respectively of aninsole assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the presentinvention. As seen in these figures, a main part of the insole assembly1000 includes multiple regions similar to the embodiment discussed withrespect to FIG. 8. Specifically, the main part includes a toe portion1001, a medial metatarsal portion 1003, a lateral metatarsal portion1005, a middle foot portion 1007, an arch support portion 1009, a medialheel portion 1011, and a lateral heel portion 1012. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 10 a and 10 b, these portions of the main part of the soleassembly 1000 have different configurations, material compositionsand/or durometer hardnesses to accommodate a characteristic of thewearer. For example, the medial metatarsal portion 1003 includes grooves1004 that provide a particular impact response, while the lateralmetatarsal portion 1005 includes dimples 1006 that may provide adifferent impact response. Similarly, the medial heel portion 1011 doesnot include structural features while the lateral heel portions 1012includes the dimples 1006.

In addition to the various portions of the main part, the sole assembly1000 includes an arch support 1009 provided within recess 1010 of themain part. Attachment of the arch support is provided by tab 1019. Asshown in FIG. 10 b, the arch support is shaped to correspond to alongitudinal arch of the wearer to support the wearer's arch uponimpact. However, the arch support 1009 does not extend across the entirewidth of the insole assembly 1000 and therefore does not providesignificant expansion of a sole assembly.

Also included in the insole assembly 1000 is a metatarsal pad 1013provided within a recess 1014. The metatarsal pad 1013 providescushioning to the metatarsal heads and may be provided with a gradientdurometer hardness as previously discussed. The metatarsal pad 1013 isshown as transparent in order to demonstrate the differences between themedial and lateral metatarsal regions 1003 and 1005 respectively. Ametatarsal rise 1015 is also provided within a recess 1016 of the solemain part. The metatarsal rise 1015 provides a bulge in a top surface ofthe sole assembly as previously discussed. Finally, heel pad 1017 isprovided within a recess 1018 of the main part 1001 in order to cushionheel impact during use. The metatarsal pad, the heel pad 1018 is showntransparent in order to demonstrate the characteristics of the medialand lateral portions of the heel 1011 and 1012 respectively.

While the figures previously discussed present footwear componentsformed on an insole or sole assembly, footwear components can beprovided on the upper portion 100 as well. According to one aspect ofthe invention, a pocket may be formed on a surface of the upper in orderto receive an upper component configured to customize a fit of the upperto a characteristic of the wearer. FIG. 11 shows a show upper havingfootwear components in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. As seen in this figure, an interior surface 130 of the upper100 includes pockets 131 configured to receive heel guide components133. The heel guide components 133 are preferable tubular shapedcomponents that provide opposing raised bulges in the interior surface130, which function to guide the wearer's heel into the shoe upper 100,and to act as a heel seat to tighten and accommodate for variations inheel anatomy, (narrow, normal and wide) heel widths. The tubularmaterial (133) may be made of a material which has the ability to graspsocks and skin and further prevent slippage. The interior surface 130may also include a pocket configured to receive a sizing component thatadapts the interior surface to a characteristic of the wearer. Forexample, FIG. 11 shows a tongue pocket 135 provided on an underside ofthe shoe tongue to receive a tongue component 137 therein. The tonguecomponent thickens the tongue to occupy more or less volume of the shoecavity in accordance with the volume dimensions and/or preference of thewearer. Member 137 can have a variety of thicknesses and durometerhardnesses which assists the shoe's ability to apply retrograde pressureagainst the foot to ankle articulation and promote proximal positioningof the foot to heel counter 130. Interior surface pockets may also beused in the upper interior sidewalls or any other interior surface ofthe shoe upper.

In accordance with the present invention, each footwear component isassociated with a characteristic of the wearer, and the footwearcomponents are combined to provide a custom shoe for the wearer. As usedherein, the term “custom shoe” means a shoe having at least twocomponents that are independently associated with a characteristic ofthe wearer and combined to provide a custom shoe.

In one aspect of the present invention, at least one of the footwearcomponents is selected from a plurality of pre-manufactured footwearcomponents having substantially the same function, but having differentphysical attributes to accommodate different foot configurations. FIGS.12 a-12 c show a plurality of pre-manufactured arch supports 1210, 1220and 1230 that may be used to provide a custom shoe in accordance withthe present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, thearch supports 1210, 1220 and 1230 are made of plastic to provide a rigidstructure that functions to support the longitudinal arch of a foot. Asseen in the figures, each of the arch supports 1210, 1220 and 1230include an aperture 1250 that is used to attach the arch support to aninsole. Thus, the aperture 1250 allows the arch supports 1210, 1220 and1230 to be interchangeable with one another on a particular insole. Itis understood that the aperture 1250 is not necessary to provideinterchangeability, and other mechanisms may be used, including simplyproviding a common mating surface among arches, which is configured tomate with a surface of the insole. In a preferred embodiment, each archis capable of being used for a left or right insole. For example, thearch 1210 may accommodate a left insole when oriented as shown in FIG.12 a, but also can accommodate a right insole when oriented in adifferent direction. Other interchangeable footwear components may alsobe designed to accommodate a left or right insole.

Although the arch supports are interchangeable and provide substantiallythe same function, the arch supports 1210, 1220 and 1230 have differentphysical attributes that accommodate different characteristics of afoot. As seen in FIG. 12, for example, arch support 1210 has an archheight H1 while arch support 1220 has a height H2<H1. Thus, the archsupports 1210 and 1220 are designed to accommodate differentlongitudinal arches of a foot. However, the arch supports 1210 and 1220each have a thickness T1, which provides substantially the sameflexibility characteristics for these arches. As seen in FIG. 12 c, thearch support 1230, includes an arch height H1 the same as the archsupport 1210, but has a thickness T2>T1 thereby providing a lessflexible arch support. Thus, arch support 1210 is designed toaccommodate a foot requiring a more flexible support, such as that of anolder individual.

FIG. 13 shows a plurality of pre-manufactured heel pads 1310, 1320 and1330 that may be used to provide a custom shoe in accordance with thepresent invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, the heelpads 1310, 1320 and 1330 are made of a gel-type plastic material toprovide a cushion for the wearer's heel upon impact. As seen in thefigures, each of the heel pads 1310, 1320 and 1330 include a matingsurface 1350 that is used to attach the heel pad to an insole. Thus, themating surface allows the heel pads 1310, 1320 and 1330 to beinterchangeable with one another on a particular insole.

Although the heel pads are interchangeable and provide substantially thesame function, the heel pads 1310, 1320 and 1330 have different physicalattributes that accommodate different characteristics of a foot.Specifically, heel pad 1310 has a durometer hardness D1 while heel pad1320 has a durometer hardness D2<D1. Thus, the heel pad 1320 provides asofter surface that may be designed to cushion a heel having a heelspur. While the heel pads 1310 and 1320 each have a same shape, heel pad1330 has a different shape which may accommodate different pressurepoint characteristics of a foot.

FIGS. 12 and 13 provide only two examples of a footwear component thatcan be provided as a plurality of pre-manufactured components havingsubstantially the same function, but different physical attributes toaccommodate different characteristics of a wearer. It is to beunderstood that any of the footwear components discussed herein, orother footwear components, can be provided as a plurality ofpre-manufactured components as discussed above. For example, a footwearcomponent may be the insole of FIG. 8, where a plurality of insoles eachhave different durometer hardness ratings among the various insoleregions discussed in FIG. 8. In addition, any number of plurality ofinterchangeable pre-manufactured footwear components can be provided inaccordance with the resent invention. Other examples of footwearcomponents include a tendon padding. Still further a super absorbentpolymer for moisture management, antimicrobial or scented microbeads maybe used with any embodiment of the invention disclosed herein.

Moreover, FIGS. 12 and 13 provide only examples of physical attributesthat can be varied in a footwear component to accommodate differentwearer characteristics. It is to be understood that physical attributessuch as size, shape, configuration, material composition, duometerhardness, material density or any other physical attribute may be variedamong interchangeable footwear components to match differentcharacteristics of a person. In a preferred embodiment of the invention,the variations among a footwear components provide incremental changesin the footwear component that cover the spectrum of foot types in apopulation. For example, the arch height among arch supports can beincrementally changed among a plurality of interchangeable arch supportsin order to accommodate substantially any arch height that may be foundin a foot. The variation among footwear components can be in very smallincrements resulting in a large number of interchangeable footwearcomponents to choose from, or in larger increments to reduce the numberof interchangeable footwear components to choose from. The size of theincrement can depend on the functionality of the particular component,the degree of variation in foot types for a component, manufacturing andinventory considerations, or other factors.

As discussed in the Background section above, a main impediment toexisting customized shoe products is that the customer must wait a longtime to receive the custom product, and iterative reworks can befrustrating. The system of premanufactured interchangeable footwearcomponents described above allows a customer to select and purchase acustom shoe in a retail setting in a relatively short time period.Specifically, with the present invention a customer can enter a retailstore and select a shoe design as usual. Once the design is selected, asalesperson in the retail store can obtain detailed information relatingto the customer's foot such as dimensions and pressure points of thefoot, what sport the user is involved in etc. This data is then used bythe salesperson to identify prefabricated shoe components that are wellsuited to the customer. The shoe components are combined into a shoethat is anatomically customized to the purchaser's foot and the customerthen tries the shoe on as in the usual retail setting. Based on thecustomer's personal preference, the purchaser may wish to modify aparticular feel of the shoe. Unlike the custom shoe solutions discussedthe background, a shoe in accordance with the present invention may bere-customized in the retail setting in a short period of time. Forexample, if the customer indicates that the arch support isuncomfortable, then the salesperson can replace the initially selectedarch support with a lower arch support that may be more acceptable tothe wearer.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a process for providing customized footwearin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As seen inthis figure, the process begins with step 1401 of obtaining informationrelating to a characteristic of the customer's foot in a retail store.The information obtained in step 1401 may include measured and/ornon-measured information that relates to a characteristics of thecustomer's foot. Measured information may include two dimensional footmeasurements, three dimensional foot measurements, pressure pointmeasurements, weight measurements, gait length measurements or any otherphysical measurement of the customer that relates to a characteristic ofthe customer's foot. Non-measured information may include medicaldiagnoses relating to the customer's foot or biomechanical problems.Non-measured data may also include demographic information such as ageand sex of the customer, as well as the customer's occupation, habits,activity level or any other non-measured information about the customerthat relates to a characteristic of the customer's foot.

The information of step 1401 may be obtained manually or with the use ofelectronic and sensory equipment, or both manually and automatically.Manual retrieval of the information may include a trained retail storerepresentative physically measuring length and width foot dimensions,and observing unique characteristics of the customer's foot such as ahigh arch. For example, step 1401 may consist of a retail store employeemeasuring the customer's foot with the aid of a mechanical measuringdevice such as the Brenning device familiar to most purchasers. Theretail store representative may also manually gather information fromthe customer about his/her particular foot problems, his/her activitylevel etc., which aid in customizing a shoe for the customer. In apreferred embodiment of the invention, anatomical measurements of thecustomer's foot are automatically obtained by computer and sensoryequipment, and non-measured data is automatically collected by acomputer terminal based on customer input in response to a series ofquestions presented to the customer by the terminal. A system forautomatically obtaining information relating to a characteristic of thecustomer's foot will be discussed below.

Once the information is collected in step 1401 a prefabricated footwearcomponent is selected based on the information obtained, as shown bystep 1403. As described in FIGS. 1-11 above, a shoe in accordance withthe present invention can be assembled from several functional footwearcomponents such as an arch support, a metatarsal pad, a heel clip, atread segment etc. As further described in FIGS. 12 and 13 each footwearcomponent can be selected from a plurality of prefabricated footwearcomponents having substantially the same function, but having differentphysical attributes corresponding to a characteristic of the wearer.Selection may be performed manually by a retail store representative, orautomatically. Where manual selection is used, associating the properfootwear component is a cognitive step performed by the storerepresentative based on his or her knowledge and experience in relationto the information obtained for a particular customer. However, thestore representative is preferably aided with charts, tables, or othertools for assisting in associating one of a plurality of interchangeablefootwear components with a particular customer.

In one embodiment, the retail store may include a storage matrix foreach footwear component that assists the representative in matching acomponent with the characteristics of the customer. Using an archsupport as an example, the storage matrix may include a plurality ofhorizontal rows of storage compartments, each row corresponding to anarch height or range of arch heights for a customer. Stacking these rowsof compartments upon one another creates a plurality of vertical columnsthat can each correspond to a particular use of the shoe such asrunning, tennis, walking etc. A compartment corresponding to aparticular size range and a particular shoe use, will store an archsupport that is suitable to a customer meeting these particularcharacteristics. Thus, once the store representative has identifiedcustomer characteristics, it is easy for the representative to identifythe footwear component corresponding to the characteristics. It is to beunderstood that different storage matrices may be used for differentfootwear components. Moreover, while the above example provides only twocharacteristics for identifying a footwear component, more complexsystems may be used to consider a larger number of factors. In apreferred embodiment, the footwear component is automatically selectedby a computer system as will be described below.

Once the prefabricated footwear component is selected, a kit of footwearcomponents that includes the identified footwear component is created instep 1405. As the footwear component which was associated with theparticular customer in step 1403 is included in the kit of footwearcomponents, the kit may be assembled into a shoe that is customized tothe particular customer. Creation of the kit in step 1405 may includethe sales representative manually creating a list of the footwearcomponents prior to gathering and assembling the components into acustom shoe. Alternatively, creation of the kit may be done by acomputer system, and may be embodied in a list of components printed bythe computer for the representative. In one embodiment, the kit of partsincludes a shoe shell selected based on the customer's foot size, aninsole having an expansion member configured to adapt the shoe shell tothe customer, and an arch support that is specifically associated withthe user and attached to the insole prior to inserting into the shoe.Preferably, however, the kit of parts includes multiple footwearcomponents that are each associated with a characteristic of the wearerto provide a high degree of customization. As previously noted, theplurality of functional components may be separable or integral to apart of the shoe such as the insole.

FIG. 15 is a computerized system for providing customized footwear to aconsumer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Thesystem of FIG. 15 includes a retail store system including remotecomputer 1501, remote database 1503, one or more retail stores 1505, aretail computer 1507, a local database 1509, one or more measuringstations 151 1, one or more assembly terminals 1519 and one or morepoint of sale stations 1521. As seen in FIG. 15, each measuring station1511 includes a foot measuring device 1513, a user terminal 1515 and aprinter 1517, and each point of sale terminal 1521 includes a printer1523, a sales terminal 1525 and a scanner 1527.

The remote computer 1501 is any suitable workstation, server, or otherdevice for communicating with the retail computer 1507 and for storinginformation in and retrieving information from the remote database 1503.In one embodiment of the present invention, the remote computer 1501serves as a backup system to the retail computer 1507 for selectingfootwear components for a customer in the retail store 1505. The remotecomputer 1501 may also determine purchasing behavior of a particularcustomer and deliver such information to the retail store 1505 to assistin sales efforts. The remote computer 1501 communicates with the retailcomputer 1507 using any suitable protocol and may be implemented usingthe computer system 2101 of FIG. 21, for example.

The remote database 1503 is a file that includes records containinginformation for associating footwear components with a particularcustomer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Thisinformation includes measured and non-measured characteristics of thecustomer in relation to footwear components having particular physicalattributes. Measured information may include two dimensional footmeasurements, three dimensional foot measurements, pressure pointmeasurements, weight measurements, gait length measurements or any otherphysical measurement of the customer that relates to a characteristic ofthe customer's foot. Non-measured information may include medicaldiagnoses, biomechanical problems, demographic information such as ageand sex of the customer, as well as the customer's occupation, habits,activity level or any other non-measured information about the customerthat relates to a characteristic of the customer's foot. Footwearselection tables that may be stored in the remote database 1503 will bediscussed with respect to FIGS. 19 a and 19 b below.

The remote database 1503 may also include records containing informationfor associating a particular customer identification to a foot profileunique to the customer, and/or to a purchase history unique to acustomer. The remote database can be used to store various data relatingto a customer. Customer information tables that may be stored in theremote database 1503 will be discussed with respect to FIG. 19 c below.Records in the remote database 1503 contain fields together with a setof operations for searching, sorting, recombining, and other databasefunctions. The remote database 1503 may be implemented as two or moredatabases, if desired.

The retail store 1505 is generically referred to as a retail locationand is a place where goods are kept for retail sale to customers. Asnoted above, many retail stores 1505 may be connected to the remotecomputer 1501. This allows a plurality of stores to access informationunique to a customer, should the customer shop in different retailstores.

The retail computer 1507 may be implemented using the computer system2101 of FIG. 21, for example, or any other suitable PC, work station,server, or device for communicating with the remote computer 1501, forstoring and retrieving information in the local database 1509, formonitoring data transmitted between the measuring station 1511, assemblystation 1519 and point of sale 1521. In one embodiment, the retailcomputer 1507 can control the foot measuring device 1513, display 1515and printer 1517 of the measuring station 1511, as well as control theprinter 1523, terminal 1525 and scanner 1527 of the point of sale 1521.According to one embodiment, the retail computer 1507 associatesfootwear components with a particular customer based on a characteristicof the customer in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

The local database 1509 is a file that includes records containinginformation for associating footwear components with a particularcustomer in accordance with the present invention. The records in thelocal purchase database 1509 contain fields for associating footwearcomponents with a particular customer. The local database 1509 alsoincludes operations for searching, sorting, recombining, and otherdatabase functions. The local purchase database 1509 may be implementedas two or more databases, if desired. Periodically, (e.g., daily) footprofiles and sales transaction information stored in the local database1509 are retrieved by the retail computer 1507 and sent to the remotecomputer 1501, which uses the information to update customer profilesstored in the remote database 1503.

The retail store 1505 includes one or more measuring stations 1511 thatinterface with a footwear customer. The measuring stations include afoot measuring device 1513 having scanning and/or other sensory toolsconfigured to obtain information representative of the customer's footin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In theembodiment of FIG. 15, the measuring station 1511 also includes a userterminal 1515 for the footwear customer and/or retail representative toinput information and view a display of information from the measuringstation. The measuring station 1511 also can include a printer to printinformation such as a kit of footwear components that will be combinedinto a custom shoe. Examples of measuring stations will be discussedfurther with respect to FIGS. 16-18 below.

The retail store 1505 also includes one or more assembly stations 1519.The assembly station 1519 is any computer or device for communicatingwith the measuring station 1511 and/or retail computer 1507 to assist aretail representative in assembling a custom shoe. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, a prescription of the customer's foot is sentdirectly to the assembly station to inform a retail representative ofthe footwear components necessary to provide a custom shoe for thecustomer.

The retail store 1505 also includes one or more points of sale 1521.Each point of sale 1521 preferably includes a corresponding printer1523, a terminal 1525 and a scanner 1527. The terminal 1525 communicateswith the retail computer 1507 and the scanner 1527. The scanner 1527 maybe implemented as any conventional scanning device for reading footwearproduct information such as an item code from bar codes or other indiciaon the footwear product. This information read by the scanner 1527 istransmitted to the retail computer 1507 via the terminal 1525. Theretail computer 1507 uses the scanned information and the informationstored in the local database 1509 and/or remote database 1503 todetermine information of the transaction including product price,quantity, and product description, for example. Purchase receipts may beprinted on the printer 1523 in response to receiving commands from theretail computer 1507 and/or sales terminal 1525.

It is to be understood that the system in FIG. 15 is for exemplarypurposes only, as many variations of the specific hardware and softwareused to implement the present invention will be readily apparent to onehaving ordinary skill in the art. For example, the functionality of theretail computer 1507 and the assembly terminal 1519 may be combined in asingle device. To implement these variations as well as othervariations, a single computer (e.g., the computer system 2101 of FIG.21) may be programmed to perform the special purpose functions of two ormore of any of the devices numbered 1501 through 1527 shown in FIG. 15.On the other hand, two or more programmed computers may be substitutedfor any one of the devices numbered 1501 through 1527 shown in FIG. 15.Principles and advantages of distributed processing, such as redundancyand replication, may also be implemented as desired to increase therobustness and performance of the system, for example.

FIG. 16 shows a measuring station that may be used in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The measuring station 1600 includesa customer seat 1601, foot measuring devices 1603 and 1605, display1607, printer output 1609, card reader 1611, speakers 1615 and backboard 1613. As seen in FIG. 16, the seat 1601 is situated to allow aseated customer to place his or her feet on the foot measuring devices1603 and 1605, while the customer can also view the display 1607 andaccess the printer output 1609 and card reader 1611. In the embodimentof FIG. 16, the foot measuring devices 1603 and 1605 providemeasurements of static non-weight bearing characteristics of acustomer's foot. Thus, the in the embodiment of FIG. 16, the customer'sfeet are simply placed in a relaxed state on either measurement device1603 or 1605 while the customer is seated in the chair 1601. Themeasurement devices 1603 and 1605 may be designed to provide the same ordifferent measurement characteristics. Moreover, although the devices1603 and 1605 can obtain measurements of a foot having a sock thereon,the customer's socks are preferably removed to improve accuracy ofmeasurement.

FIG. 17 is an optical foot scanning device that may be used as the footmeasuring device 1600 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The electro-optical foot scanner 1700 includes an opticalscan head 1701 which moves along a fixed track 1703 during the scanprocess. Scanner 1700 also includes a control unit 1705 which adjuststhe light intensity of the optical scan head 1701, the speed at whichthe optical scan head 1701 moves within track 1703 during scanningoperations, and the flow of data to and from a central computer such asretail computer 1507 which can be coupled to the scanner 1700 throughlogical connection 1707. Scanner 1700 also includes a planar referencesurface 1709. Other shaped reference surfaces may be substituted forplanar reference surface 1709 without departing from the teachings ofthe present invention. For instance, a reference surface generallyformed such that it conforms to the bottom surface of a foot may beutilized.

During a typical scanning operation a foot to be scanned 1711 is placedon one side of reference surface 1709 such that the bottom facingsurfaces of the foot 1711 are proximate the reference surface 1709.Optical scan head 1701 moves along track 1703 along the other side ofreference surface 1709. In a preferred embodiment the control unit 1705provides a reference surface which is large enough to accommodate footsizes up to twenty according to the Brannock measuring system. Scanner1700 may provide 520×220 pixel resolution where each pixel is 5 mmsquare, however other resolutions may be used. In addition, the scanner1700 preferably allows adjustment of the light source intensity used inconjunction with the optical scan head including eight levels ofbrightness and six levels of contrast. The scanner preferably provides arelatively quick optical scan head movement and therefore relativelyquick scanning of the bottom facing surface of foot 1711.

According to one embodiment, the retail computer 1507 includescomputational elements for deriving a level heel to foot length, footwidth, arch-line, and foot curvature measurement from the data receivedfrom foot image data received from scanner 1700. Methods for derivingfoot measurement data from an optical scanning device are disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,195,030, U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,169, U.S. Pat. No.5,128,880, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,804 and 5,216,594, the entire contentsof each of which is incorporated herein by reference. In one embodiment,the scanner can be equipped with a sensor or detector for measuring thecustomer's weight. This embodiment will be described further withrespect to FIG. 22 below.

Returning to FIG. 16, display panel 1607 displays information to thecustomer about characteristics of the customer's foot. In accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention, the display 1607 is atouch screen panel that allows the customer to input information. Forexample, messages displayed on the display 1607 and/or provided orallyby the speakers 1615 may prompt the customer to input non-measurementinformation such as age, shoe use, personal comfort preferences etc.Moreover, the display 1607 and speakers 1615 can provide the customerwith a multimedia presentation about unique characteristics of theuser's foot, and shoe configurations that are appropriate for the user.

Foot measuring station 1600 may also include a card reader 1609 thataccepts a personal identification (ID) card unique to the customer. Thecustomer ID card may be a credit card, debit card, license, a uniquefootwear card, a shopper loyalty card or any other card that provides aunique ID for the customer. While not shown in FIG. 16, the backboard1613 may include a brand logo as well as display shelves for shoedesigns.

FIG. 18 shows a measuring station 1800 that may be used in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. As seen in this figure, thestation 1800 includes a seat 1801, foot measuring device 1803, a display1805, a card reader 1809 and a printer slot 1811 for outputting printedpaper 1813. The measuring station of FIG. 18 is designed to provide bothstatic and dynamic measurements of the customer's foot. Specifically,the seat 1801 is situated such that a customer may place their feet onthe foot measuring device 1803 in a relaxed non-load bearing state.Static weight-bearing measurements may then be taken as the customerstands on the measuring device 1803. Finally, dynamic measurements maybe taken by the customer placing his or her left foot on the devicewhile stepping through the station 1800 in one direction, and thenplacing a right foot on the device 1803 while stepping through thestation in an opposite direction.

The measuring device 1803 is preferably a foam mat equipped with aplurality of electrostatic and pressure sensors. With such a mat, thefoam conforms to the contours of the customer's plantar region toprovide actual three dimensional measurements of the customer's foot.Using such a foam mat, motion, velocity, mass and 3d surfacing can beevaluated for the customer to select a particular footwear component inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Further weight,body sway, limb length discrepancy, gait cycle events, static 2d and 3Dimaging, dynamic 2D and 3D imaging, pronation and supination events andbody mass migration measurements can be taken.

As with the measuring station of FIG. 16, the display panel 1805displays information to the customer about characteristics of thecustomer's foot, and can include a touch screen panel that allows thecustomer to input information. Further 1809 can accept a personalidentification (ID) card unique to the customer. While not shown in FIG.18, a back portion of the display stand may include a brand logo as wellas display shelves for shoe designs.

It is to be understood that the measuring stations 1600 and 1800, aswell as the foot measuring devices described as relating thereto areexemplary only, and other foot measuring configurations may be used. Forexample, foot measurements may be taken by a portable carpetmanufactured by GaitRite. The portable carpet provides a 14 foot run ofwalking surface having more than 16,000 sensors that capture electronicfootprints of a customer in full gait to measure cadence, step length,velocity and other gait parameters. In one embodiment, the sensorycarpet may be implemented in a treadmill configuration.

The present invention stores information relating to footwear componentsas well as customer information, for example. This information is storedin one or more memories such as a hard disk, optical disk,magneto-optical disk, and/or RAM, for example. One or more databases,such as the remote database 1503 and the local database 1509, may storethe information used to implement the present invention. The databasesare organized using data structures (e.g., records, tables, arrays,fields, graphs, trees, and/or lists) contained in one or more memories,such as the memories listed above or any of the storage devices listedbelow in the discussion of FIG. 21, for example.

FIGS. 19 a, 19 b and 19 c depict data structures used for implementing asystem for providing a custom shoe in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. The data structures are depicted in a relationalformat, using tables, whereby information stored in one column (i.e.,field) of a table is mapped or linked to information stored in the samerow (i.e., record) across the other column(s) of the table. These datastructures are used by the remote computer 1501 and/or the retailcomputer 1507 to select footwear components for providing custom shoesin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. According toone embodiment, the data structures shown in FIGS. 19 a and 19 b arestored in the local database 1509 and the remote database 1503, whilethe data structure shown in FIG. 19 c is stored only in the remotedatabase 1503 However, it is to be understood that any other suitablestorage device(s) or medium(s) may be used.

FIG. 19 a is an arch support selection table that is used to matchvarious customer characteristics to a pre-manufactured arch support inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The arch supportselection table 1901 is preferably stored in the local database 1509,but may be stored in the remote database 1503 so that the remotecomputer 1501 can serve as a backup system for identifying arch supportsfor a custom shoe. As seen in FIG. 19, the table 1901 includes acustomer arch height field 1901, a customer weight field 1905, acustomer use field 1907 and an arch number field 1909. Each entry of thearch height field 1903 includes a range of arch heights. For example,the first entry in column 1903 includes an entry “2.0-2.5 cm,” thesecond entry includes “2.5-3.0 cm” and the third entry includes “3.0-3.5cm.” Thus, in table 1901, the customer arch height entries aresuccessive ranges of arch heights that cover a continuous spectrum ofarch heights that may be measured for a customer's foot. As shown by theellipses in column 1903, the arch height column can include more rangevalues.

The customer weight field 1905 also includes successive ranges ofweights that may be measured from a customer. For example, FIG. 19 aincludes the ranges “100-130 lbs,” “130-160 lbs,” and “160-190 lbs.” Thecustomer use column 1907 includes running and walking as examples of acustomer's primary use of the shoe. The ellipses in FIG. 19 a indicatethat more entries may be included in each column. As seen in FIG. 19 a,the customer weight ranges are repeated for each customer arch height,and the customer uses are repeated for each customer weight range. Thisconfiguration of the table 1901 allows various customer characteristicsto contribute to the selection of a pre-manufactured arch listed in thearch number column 1909. The arch numbers in column 1909 each correspondto an arch having a unique physical attributes suitable for a foot thatmeets the combination of characteristics correlated to the arch numberin the table 1901.

For example, foot measuring station 1800 may measure a particularcustomer's arch height at 2.7 cm, and the customer's body weight at 148lbs, as described above. Moreover, as these measurements are taken, themeasurement station 1800 may have obtained information from the customerindicating that the primary use for the shoe will be walking. With thisinformation, the retail computer 1507 searches the arch supportselection table 1901 and finds that these characteristics are includedin a unique record 1911 that identifies arch support numbered 2.5-130R.Thus, the retail computer 1507 can select this arch support for use in acustom shoe to be assembled for the customer. This selection may beoutput by the measuring station 1800 by printing, display and/or orally,so that the arch support can be physically obtained and included in acustom shoe.

FIG. 19 b is a heel pad selection table that is used to match variouscustomer characteristics to a pre-manufactured heel pad in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. The heel pad selectiontable 1913 is preferably stored in the local database 1509, but may bestored in the remote database 1503 so that the remote computer 1501 canserve as a backup system for identifying arch supports for a customshoe. As seen in FIG. 19 b, the table 1901 includes a customer heel typefield 1915, a customer weight field 1917, a customer use field 1919 anda heel pad number field 1921. Thus, the heel pad selection table 1913can include the same and/or different characteristics used in otherfootwear component selection charts such as the arch support selectionchart.

As seen in FIG. 19 b, the successive customer weight ranges are repeatedfor each customer heel type, and the customer uses are repeated for eachcustomer weight range to allow various customer characteristics tocontribute to the selection of a pre-manufactured heel pad listed in theheel pad number column 1921. The heel pad numbers in column 1921 eachcorrespond to a heel pad having unique physical attributes suitable fora foot that meets the combination of characteristics correlated to theheel pad number in the table 1913. Thus, as seen in FIG. 19 b, therecord 1923 identifies heel pad number NS-130T as suitable for acustomer that does not have a heel spur, weighs between 130-160 lbs anduses his shoe primarily for tennis. Thus, the retail computer 1507 canselect this arch support for use in a custom shoe to be assembled forthe customer. This selection may be output by the measuring station 1800by printing, display and/or orally, so that the arch support can bephysically obtained and included in a custom shoe.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a customer may have aCustomer ID card that stores a unique ID of the customer in relation tothe customer's foot characteristics, as well as in relation to purchasehistory information for the customer. FIG. 19 c is a customerinformation table 1925 that includes a field 1927 for storing CustomerIDs (CIDs), a field 1929 for storing a customer footwear characteristicsin association with the CID, and a field 1931 for storing a purchasehistory in association with a CID. The customer information table 1925stores CIDs of many different customers and information associated witheach CID. Thus, as seen in the exemplary entries of FIG. 19 c, the firstentry in table 1925 associates information with the customer having theCID 8765, while the second entry of table 1925 associates informationwith a different customer having CID MMM765.

A CID is any identifier that is scanned, read, or otherwise entered intoa computer system at a foot measuring station or POS terminal toidentify a customer. Each customer may have multiple CIDs and eachretail store may use any one of the CIDs to identify footcharacteristics of the customer and/or track purchases of the customer.Thus, different retail stores may have a different CID for a particularcustomer. Examples of possible CIDs are credit card numbers, debit cardnumbers, social security card numbers, driver's license numbers,checking account numbers, street addresses, names, e-mail addresses,telephone numbers, frequent customer card numbers, shopper cardidentifications (SCIDs), or shopper loyalty card numbers issued by theretail store 1505, although any other suitable form of identificationmay be used.

The foot characteristics in column 1929 are preferably stored as afootwear prescription which may include a 3D image of anatomicalmeasurements of the customer's foot, as well as non-measurement data asdiscussed above. By storing the customer's footwear characteristics, acustomer can purchase custom shoes without the need to scan his or herfoot before each purchase. Indeed, once the customer's footcharacteristics are captured and shared, a customer can shop for customshoes on-lone without entering a retail store. However, the on-lineshopping will not allow the customer to have anatomically customizedshoes to be modified to suit personal preferences of the customer.Further, it is preferably that the customer periodically update his orher footwear characteristics, as they may change over time. Thus, in theembodiment of FIG. 19 c, the footwear prescription is also saved inrelation to a date that the prescription was created.

The purchase histories stored in column 1931 provide a list of productsand/or services previously purchased by a customer associated with theCID. In one embodiment, and referring to FIG. 15, the remote computer1501 can poll the retail computer 1507 in each of the retail stores 1505for purchase history information to update the purchase historyinformation stored in the remote database 1503. The host computer 1501preferably generates behavioral information from the purchase historyinformation stored in the remote database 1503. This behavioralinformation may be any information that a market researcher (i.e.,surveyor) wishes to use to determine whether a customer is likely topurchase a particular product. Examples of behavioral information arewhether a customer has purchased tennis shoes in the past year, whetherthe customer has purchased sports socks in the last six months, andwhether the customer consistently purchases running shoes.

While the above description is given with respect to a relationaldatabase for categorizing or associating footwear components formeasured and non-measured characteristics, the present invention is notlimited to this embodiment. For example, the selection of footwearcomponents may be accomplished with an expert system process such asthat described in FIGS. 22-24 below.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart explaining an in-store process for providingcustom shoes in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.The process begins when a customer walks into a retail store, such asthe store 1505 of FIG. 15, to purchase footwear products and seeks theassistance of a sales representative. Thus, the process of FIG. 20 willbe described with reference to the components of FIG. 15. According tothe process of FIG. 20, the sales representative will direct thecustomer to a foot measuring station 1511 where the customer's feet arescanned as shown by step 2001 of FIG. 20. Thus, the scanning step 2001obtains anatomical foot measurements and may also obtain othernon-measured characteristics of the customer by way of user terminal1515. Further, the scanning step 2001 prompts the retail computer 1507to access footwear component selection charts from the local database1509, and select footwear components that correspond to thecharacteristics obtained for the customer. In the process of FIG. 15,these selected footwear components are provided in a prescription withthe customer's ID, which is printed on printer 1517, as shown by step2003.

Once the prescription is printed, the sales representative retreats tothe back of the retail store to assemble a custom footwear product inaccordance with the printed prescription as shown by step 2005. At thistime, the display 1515 provides scan results and a personalizededucation primer to the customer as shown by step 2007. Step 2007 ispreferably a multimedia presentation that captures the customer'sattention while the sales representative is assembling the customer'sshoe in the backroom. In a preferred embodiment, assembly of the customshoe will take no more than 5 minutes. In addition to printing theprescription and ID, the retail computer 1507 sends this information toremote database 1503 as shown by step 2009. In the embodiment of FIG.20, the prescription and ID are wirelessly transmitted via a router andthe Internet to the remote database, which is referred to as a “masterdatabase” in FIG. 20. However, hard wired transmission to a local orremote database may be used. The prescription is provided in a customerinformation table such as that described with respect to FIG. 19 cabove.

According to the process of FIG. 20, the presentation to the customerends and the sales representative returns with the assembled shoes, atwhich time the customer tries on the custom shoes as shown in step 2013.The process then proceeds to step 2015 where the customer decideswhether the shoes are a satisfactory fit. If the shoes are notsatisfactory to the customer, the sales representative gathersinformation from the customer to make adjustments to the shoes, as shownby step 2017. The sales representative then returns to the back room instep 2005 to select alternative footwear components that meet thecustomer's required adjustments, and the customer tries the adjustedshoes.

Once the customer determines that the shoes fit, a decision is made asto whether the customer will purchase the shoes in step 2019. If thecustomer does not wish to purchase the shoes, the sales representativewill gather feedback from the customer in an attempt to earn the sale asshown by step 2021. While not shown in FIG. 20, the representative maybe aided in earning the sale in step 2021 by behavioral informationobtained from the remote computer 1501 as previously discussed. If thecustomer still refuses to purchase the custom shoes, the salesrepresentative gives the customer the printed prescription with theunique ID and directs the customer to a website as shown by step 2023.In one embodiment, step 2023 includes the sales representative uploadingthe customer's prescription and customer to the remote database 1503.The customer may then access the web site with the unique ID, andregister to receive personalized information based on the customer'sprescription as shown in step 2025. As the remote database has theprescription, the customer may purchase a custom shoe on-line withoutreturning to the retail store. In one embodiment, the website ismaintained on the remote computer 1501, however the retail computer maybe used.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the consumer may be referredto an orthotics specialist for a specialized orthotic having a very highdegree of customization to the consumer. This referral may beautomatically provided as part of the prescription process in step 2003,or as part of the salesman trying to fit the consumer in steps2015-2021. In a preferred embodiment, a retailer or footwearer companyis affiliated with pre-selected orthotics specialist for referral. Inreturn for the referral business, the orthotics specialists preferablyagrees to provide orthotics specially adapted to the retailer orfootwearer company shoes, and/or to purchase such shoes. Of course,other terms may be negotiated to compensate the retailer or footwearercompany for the referral business.

Once referred to the orthotics specialist, the specialist measures theconsumer's foot and creates a specialized orthotic based on themeasurements. The measurement may be made using any known measurementmethod such as casting or manual methods, or by automated scanning suchas that previously described herein. Automated scanning is preferable inorder to avoid long lead times before the customer can receive theorthotic. Further, the specialized orthotic is preferably selected frompre-manufactured orthotics that require little or no modification inorder to match the consumer's prescription. For example,pre-manufactured orthotics may be provided in a set of several dozen, ormore, orthotics that have incremental differences across a broad rangeof foot types. One such pre-manufactured orthotic can be selected andfine tuned using manual modification techniques in order to meet therequirements for the footwear prescription in a short period of time.However, no matter what method is used to create the specializedorthotic, the specialized orthotic preferably meets the requirements ofa medical grade orthotic, the cost of which is reimbursed by medicalinsurance such as Medicaid.

Where the purchaser decides to purchase the custom shoes at the retailstore in step 2019, the process proceeds to step 2027, where the salesrepresentative attempts to cross sell for additional footwear andapparel accessories. Where purchase history for the customer has beenpreviously stored in the remote database, the sales representative canuse behavioral information to determine possible products to suggest tothe customer. Further, the remote computer 1501 may provide the salesrepresentative with a coupon targeted to the customer to induce thecustomer to make a purchase. Systems and methods for providingpromotions and/or coupons targeted to a customer are well known in theart.

In addition to cross sale efforts, the sales representative takesappropriate action to update the prescription if necessary as shown bystep 2029. Specifically, if the prescription was altered by the salesrepresentative based on feedback from the customer, then the salesrepresentative manually adjusts the prescription corresponding to thecustomer's ID as shown by step 2031. Such manual adjustment is done on aterminal of the retail computer 1507, which accesses the remote computer1501 to update the customer information table stored in the remotedatabase 1503 as shown in step 2011. Where the prescription was notaltered during the sale, the “no” path is followed from decision block2029, and the prescription ID is entered into the point of sale system1521 and the consumer pays for the custom shoes and any cross sale itemsas shown by step 2033.

Once the sale is completed, the retail computer 1507 confirms thepurchase and updates the customer's purchase history on the remotedatabase as shown by step 2035. This is done by the retail computer 1507sending the recent purchase information to the remote computer 1501 byway of the Internet, and the remote computer 1501 updating the customerinformation table stored in the remote database 1503. In addition, thePOS prints a plastic custom ID card with the customer's unique IDprinted on the front of the card as shown by step 2037. The custom IDcard includes an encoded magnetic strip that allows the customer toquickly enter his or her unique ID in a foot measuring device for futurefootwear purchases rather than having his or her foot measured again.

Portions of the invention may be conveniently implemented usingconventional general purpose computers or microprocessors programmedaccording to the teachings of the present invention, as will be apparentto those skilled in the computer art. Appropriate software can bereadily prepared by programmers of ordinary skill based on the teachingsof the present disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in thesoftware art.

FIG. 21 illustrates a computer system 2101 upon which an embodimentaccording to the present invention may be implemented. Computer system2101 includes a bus 2103 or other communication mechanism forcommunicating information, and a processor 2105 coupled with bus 2103for processing the information. Computer system 2101 also includes amain memory 2107, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronousDRAM (SDRAM), flash RAM), coupled to bus 2103 for storing informationand instructions to be executed by processor 2105. In addition, mainmemory 2107 may be used for storing temporary variables or otherintermediate information during execution of instructions to be executedby processor 2105. Computer system 2101 further includes a read onlymemory (ROM) 2109 or other static storage device (e.g., programmable ROM(PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), and electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM))coupled to bus 2103 for storing static information and instructions forprocessor 2105. A storage device 2111, such as a magnetic disk oroptical disc, is provided and coupled to bus 2103 for storinginformation and instructions.

The computer system 2101 may also include special purpose logic devices(e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) or configurablelogic devices (e.g., generic array of logic (GAL) or reprogrammablefield programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)). Other removable media devices(e.g., a compact disc, a tape, and a removable magneto-optical media) orfixed, high density media drives, may be added to the computer system2101 using an appropriate device bus (e.g., a small computer systeminterface (SCSI) bus, an enhanced integrated device electronics (IDE)bus, or an ultra-direct memory access (DMA) bus). The computer system2101 may additionally include a compact disc reader, a compact discreader-writer unit, or a compact disc juke box, each of which may beconnected to the same device bus or another device bus.

Computer system 2101 may be coupled via bus 2103 to a display 2113, suchas a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computeruser. The display 2113 may be controlled by a display or graphics card.The computer system includes input devices, such as a keyboard 2115 anda cursor control 2117, for communicating information and commandselections to processor 2105. The cursor control 2117, for example, is amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating directioninformation and command selections to processor 2105 and for controllingcursor movement on the display 2113. In addition, a printer may provideprinted listings of the data structures shown in FIGS. 19 a, 19 b and 19c, or any other data stored and/or generated by the computer system2101.

The computer system 2101 performs a portion or all of the processingsteps of the invention in response to processor 2105 executing one ormore sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory, suchas the main memory 2107. Such instructions may be read into the mainmemory 2107 from another computer-readable medium, such as storagedevice 2111. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangementmay also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions containedin main memory 2107. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitrymay be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific combination ofhardware circuitry and software.

As stated above, the system 2101 includes at least one computer readablemedium or memory programmed according to the teachings of the inventionand for containing data structures, tables, records, or other datadescribed herein. Stored on any one or on a combination of computerreadable media, the present invention includes software for controllingthe computer system 2101, for driving a device or devices forimplementing the invention, and for enabling the computer system 2101 tointeract with a human user, e.g., a customer. Such software may include,but is not limited to, device drivers, operating systems, developmenttools, and applications software. Such computer readable media furtherincludes the computer program product of the present invention forperforming all or a portion (if processing is distributed) of theprocessing performed in implementing the invention.

The computer code devices of the present invention may be anyinterpreted or executable code mechanism, including but not limited toscripts, interpreters, dynamic link libraries, Java classes, andcomplete executable programs. Moreover, parts of the processing of thepresent invention may be distributed for better performance,reliability, and/or cost.

The term “computer readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing instructions to processor 2105 forexecution. A computer readable medium may take many forms, including butnot limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmissionmedia. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical, magneticdisks, and magneto-optical disks, such as storage device 2111. Volatilemedia includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 2107. Transmissionmedia includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, includingthe wires that comprise bus 2103. Transmission media may also take theform of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radiowave and infrared data communications.

Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, harddisks, floppy disks, tape, magneto-optical disks, PROMs (EPROM, EEPROM,Flash EPROM), DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, or any other magnetic medium, compactdisks (e.g., CD-ROM), or any other optical medium, punch cards, papertape, or other physical medium with patterns of holes, a carrier wave(described below), or any other medium from which a computer can read.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying outone or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 2105 forexecution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on amagnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions for implementing all or a portion of the present inventionremotely into a dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 2101 mayreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitterto convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector coupledto bus 2103 can receive the data carried in the infrared signal andplace the data on bus 2103. Bus 2103 carries the data to main memory2107, from which processor 2105 retrieves and executes the instructions.The instructions received by main memory 2107 may optionally be storedon storage device 2111 either before or after execution by processor2105.

Computer system 2101 also includes a communication interface 2119coupled to bus 2103. Communication interface 2119 provides a two-waydata communication coupling to a network link 2121 that is connected toa local network (e.g., LAN 2123). For example, communication interface2119 may be a network interface card to attach to any packet switchedlocal area network (LAN). As another example, communication interface2119 may be an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) card, anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide adata communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line.Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation,communication interface 2119 sends and receives electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streamsrepresenting various types of information.

Network link 2121 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 2121 mayprovide a connection through LAN 2123 to a host computer 2125 or to dataequipment operated by a service provider, which provides datacommunication services through an IP (Internet Protocol) network 2127.LAN 2123 and IP network 2127 both use electrical, electromagnetic oroptical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through thevarious networks and the signals on network link 2121 and throughcommunication interface 2119, which carry the digital data to and fromcomputer system 2101, are exemplary forms of carrier waves transportingthe information. Computer system 2101 can transmit notifications andreceive data, including program code, through the network(s), networklink 2121 and communication interface 2119.

FIGS. 22-24 show another implementation of a shoe system in accordancewith the present invention. The embodiment of FIGS. 22-24 is preferablyimplemented on a scanning type measuring station such as that describedwith respect to FIGS. 16 and 17 above. However, any suitable measuringstation may be used. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,030, U.S. Pat. No.5,123,169, U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,880, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,804 and5,216,594, the entire contents of each of which is incorporated hereinby reference, describe specific methods and systems for implementing oneor more steps of FIGS. 22-24. Still further the features and elements ofFIGS. 22-24 can be implemented or combined with any embodiment of theinvention described herein.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing the steps for obtaining informationrelating to a customer's foot. The flow chart shows only informationcollection with respect to the left foot, however, right footinformation collection is done in a similar fashion to that describedfor the left foot, although the information collected for the right andleft foot is typically different. As seen in FIG. 22, the process beginswith setting a language at the foot measuring station. Languageselections may be English, Spanish, or any other language. In step 2203,the foot is scanned in a sitting position and also in a standingposition.

In the embodiment of FIG. 22, both feet are placed on the foot scannerin both the sitting and standing position and the measuring systemseparates the analysis of the individual feet. As also seen in step2203, the scanner is equipped to collect weight information for thecustomer in the standing position. The embodiment of FIG. 22 takes acomplete weight of the customer as they stand on the plexiglass that isabove the scanner for use in pressure points of the foot as will bedescribed below. Specifically, the scanner is equipped with an extremelythin weight sensor of approximately 0.008 inches thick, positioned onthe plexiglass of the scanner. This allows the scan detectors and thesensors themselves from pushing the scan sheet too far away from thefoot so that foot to scanner active elements are minimized. That is, theweight sensor is provided as a thin sheet so that the foot remains closeto the optical scanner to maintain accuracy of the foot scan. In oneembodiment, the weight sensor uses a sensor and detectors from TekScanwith special applications circuit electronics to read the detectors,combine them, and adapt the weight sensing feature to a foot measuringdevices.

In step 2205, the foot image obtained is enhanced and/or smoothed toremove dust, smudges and/or other anomalies. While conventional imagecorrection used for scanning documents, for example, provides an erodeprocedure, which means the system will substract pixels that are notnext to other pixels, and would further perform a dilate function fromthe eroded pixel count. The present inventors have recognized that theerode and dilate functions can be somewhat unpredictable when dealingwith a foot scan. For example, toes might have their own individual padarea that is not very large but is associated with a much larger aspectof the foot; classic erode and dilate image correction will lose a fewpixels around the toes and will probably dilate around the body of thefoot, which is going to start disturbing the accuracy of the scanneddimensions. Thus, the embodiment of FIG. 22 performs lossless imagecorrection that does not substantially change signals that are valid.For example, lossless image correction will not lose a signal relatingto the pad print of the customer's little toe, which may be quite smallfrom a signal point of view. Such lossless image correction is a goodway to modify the foot scan without destroying scan information.

In step 2207, the system performs a count of the active pixels in thescan, including a high pressure count and a low pressure count. In thisstep, the edge of the customer's foot to the center of the foot ismapped out in relative pressures. The relative pressures are fed back tothe scanner by how much blood is pushed out of the skin surface and howmuch is contacting the scanner plate. Thus, the scanner can detectrelative pressure. According to one aspect of the present invention,this relative pressure can be used to calculate an amount of pressureper unit area of the foot as will be further described below. In step2209, TWAC foot measurements are taken. As seen in FIG. 22, step 2209includes finding Heel width in millimeters, locating a heel back edge inx,y coordinates, locating a Heel centroid in x,y coordinates, locatingtoe centroids in x,y coordinates and finding the longest toe in x,ycoordinates. Also included is determining the foot length in mm, findingthe 1^(st) through 5^(th) metatarsal heads in x,y coordinates, finding acenter line of the foot using a pair of x,y coordinates, locating themedial and Lateral edge of foot in x,y coordinates, locating the T pointin x,y coordinates, locating T length heel to T point in millimeters andmeasuring an arch depth and height sensor using an array of x y zcoordinates. Also included is determining an arch shape descriptor(curve fitting), a foot type determination (for example, type 1 or 2 or3), determining a curve medial triangle in degrees, determining a curvelateral triangle in degrees and determining a curve last zone (forexample zones 1-6). One implementation of steps 2207 and 2209 aredescribed in one or more of U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,030, U.S. Pat. No.5,123,169, U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,880, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,206,804 and5,216,594, which are incorporated herein by reference.

According to one aspect of step 2209, differential pressures obtainedfrom step 2207 are used to locate the second, third and fourthmetatarsal heads and/or then the phalanges tip of the toes. In oneembodiment the system actually targets and independently locates by X, Ycoordinates the center of the toe pads where they contact the scannersurface. This type of mapping allows building a three-dimensionalskeletal drawing of the customer's foot in terms of weights of bonesfrom each of these key areas to avoid the metatarsal head at the bonelane. For example, from metatarsal head to the tip of toe is a bonelane; the phalange lane. The system of FIG. 22 allows the assembly of abiomechanical working dimensional model process to allow modeling of howflexible the foot is because the data obtained provides knowledge of howmuch a foot elongates and twists and turns. This provides a verypowerful tool for not only fitting a shoe in a retail setting, but alsokeeping the shoe fit as the wearer performs an activity such as running,jumping etc.

In one embodiment, step 2209 includes determining an arch type based onwhether the wearer's arch came beyond the midline, up to the midline orit didn't come across the foot at all in terms of the contact area tothe center of the arch; for example, a Type I—High Arch, TypeII—Standard Arch, Type III—Flat Arch configuration. However, the presentinventors have recognized that this system is limited because it is notshape dependent and it is not necessarily height dependent; it isprimarily the zone of contact. In another embodiment, the systemactually describes the shape that a foot arch takes, whether it's aclassic C-shape, elliptical, chopped elliptical, truncated elliptical,truncated circle, totally flat, triangular. Footwear components may beassociated with these arch shapes to provide a high level ofcustomization for the arch support and the shoe. For example, a reararch piece can be a smooth arch shape, the mid arch can be a littlesquarish-type shape and the forefront arch can a cape cod shape. Indescribing the shapes with an incremental line drawings, (for example,one millimeter increments), the present invention can take a straightline segment and describe that shape. It's very efficient in terms ofsoftware coding, and allows the present invention to mimic the arch muchcloser than any conventional method has done before.

In step 2211, the system establishes the foot topology, the lines, areasof common depth elements and color scheme. In this step, the systemgroups areas of a common elevation with a particular color, and furthergroups areas of a common pressure with a particular color. This providesa color map of the topology of the foot. As a person stands on asurface, there's a lot of the person's foot that is in contact with thesurface. So, even though when the foot is up in the air it would have adifferent topographical location, when it hits the surface it goes tothe zero level of that surface. So, those surfaces that are in fullcontact are all zeros, but they have pressure differential lines drawnin. Those surfaces that are not in contact with the surface (such as thescanner plate) but can be seen in the foot scan, which is the rest ofyour foot, their lines refer to the topographical elevation changes tomake it easy for the eye to connect the change and shape of the foot.The method of FIG. 22 enhances those pressure and elevation changes withcolors so that if somebody looks at the foot scan, they can understand,for example, that all the red and yellows are high pressure points, allthe blues are far away and the intermediate colors, the light greens andpurple, those are transition where the foot is going from touching thereference surface to the areas that are very near the reference surfacein terms of elevation.

In step 2213, the data obtained by the optical scanner is saved andarchived for use in the expert system foot analysis of FIG. 23. Whilenot shown in FIG. 22, all foot measurements are performed on thecustomer's foot in both a sitting and standing position in order toobtain differential measurements that are useful in characterizing thecustomer's foot. For example, the foot topology establishing step 2211is done in both positions to detect a change in those topographicalareas in terms of shape and area between no weight on your foot or verylittle weight sitting and full body weight standing.

FIG. 23 shows a method for expert system foot analysis and shoe elementselection criteria. Once the information relating to the customer's footis obtained in the method of FIG. 22, a system according to the presentinvention can perform the method of FIG. 23 to identify footwearcomponents to include with the shoe in order to customize the shoe tothe measured foot. In steps 2301 and 2303, the foot elongation (lengthexpansion) and foot spread (width expansion) is determined based on aratio of the sit to stand measurements taken. As noted above, the sitand stand measurements can provide two data points from whichextrapolations can be made. For example, if the foot spreads X amountunder your body weight at 120 lbs. when you go running a system andmethod of the invention can determine that the runner is not only going1G, but going 2G; there is actually 240 lbs hitting these areas. Similarextrapolations can be performed for what happens when a wearer playstennis and turns a corner with 3Gs, for example. Once the data pointsare recorded, they can be applied to different models to determine theneeds of a shoe for a particular person from whom data was collected.

Step 2305 includes determining a composite foot size and converting thecomposite foot size to a retailer size in US sizes, UK sizes etc. Thisstep of determining a composite size is a response to a retailer'sdesire to sell a left and right shoe each having the same size. It'svery unusual, statistically, for people have exactly the same left footand right foot size. But for commercial reasons, a retailer would liketo sell the same size for both feet. Therefore, step 2305 grabs a singleframe shoe size, so to speak, from the retail stock, and thenaccommodates that with footwear components such as an insole thickness,arch piece and heel piece that allows that shoe to work best with thefoot. For example, it is very easy for people to have a size orsize-and-a-half difference between the left foot and right foot.According to the present invention, each foot can be provided with thesame size and footwear components can be used to correct the volume, thearch, and/or the instep, for example, to get the foot in equal positionsin the same vended size shoe. For example, if one foot is an 11.5 andone foot is an 11, a determination is made whether to buy the 11 andreduce the insole thickness, to go with the 11.5 and make the insole alittle thicker. As another example, if there is a two size differencesbetween feet (one is a size 9 and one is an 11), a 10.5 size shoe shellcan be used and the insole and arch supports may be different so thateach shoe fits comfortably on its respective foot. The composite footsize step 2305 provides a well thought out equation that builds ahierarchy of customer fitting elements that a retailer least wants tooffend in determining a single shoe size for both feet.

In step 2307, foot mobility and flexibility is determined based on thenumber of high pressure points and a percent elongation sit-to-standdata, for example. In the embodiment of FIG. 23, mobility andflexibility is not only percent elongation and percent width, but it'salso deterministic about how your arch changes shape. It is based on adetermination of which zones of a person's foot increase in pressurerelative to other zones as weight is applied to the foot. Because theoverall body weight is captured, it can be determined, for example, ifthe weight underneath your first metatarsal substantially increases whenthe person stands on his or her feet. From this, it can be determinedwhether the person is not only just flexing but pronating which meansyour ankle rolls, your knee rolls to the medial or inside wall. As oneexample, if the measurements reflect an equal pressure increase acrossall the metatarsal heads from sitting to standing, it can be inferredthat the foot it just flat spreading and is not rolling and notpitching. Thus, in the method of FIG. 23, not only are absolute pressuredifferences determined, but relative pressure differences, where thepressure goes upon standing and what the person's tendency, is are alsodetermined. That is, it is not just determining a flexible foot, butactually showing what the person's lower leg and ankle are doing by theresultant forces in the foot. That is, the method of FIG. 23 providesadditional information that leads in to mobility and flexibility ofstructures above what is actually measured.

In step 2309, body weight is factored to active pixel counts (for themultiple pressure zones) to determine pounds per square millimeter. Thiscan be done to the overall foot and/or specific key foot zones in theheel and forefoot. As noted in the description of FIG. 22 above, the byobtaining overall body weight as well as relative pressure points on thefoot (both sitting and standing), actual pressure per unit area can bedetermined in accordance with the present invention. Specifically, step2309 applies the overall weight to the number of active pixels that areon the foot in order to obtain a true pixel pounds per square inch,pounds for square millimeter, etc. That is, based on the relativepressures mapped out on the foot, the system of the present inventioncan obtain absolute pressure mapping that includes not only a highpressure zone in the foot, but literally what the pounds per unit areais. For example, based on the absolute size of a foot, absolute areasthat are in contact with the scanner plate and out of contact with theplate can be determined. This information can provide a smoothtransition between those topographical lines that are no pressure to theone now is under pressure, and the system can calculate the totalpressure that is reading under any toe, arch, heel, bone structure, etc.

Thus, the above described steps of FIG. 23 analyze characteristics of aperson's foot based on actual measured data obtained in a process suchas that described in FIG. 22. Steps, 2311, 2313, 2315, 2317, 2319 and2321 provide the selection of various foot wear components based on themeasurement and analysis steps performed. For example, step 2311 selectsa shoe frame or shell size based on length, width T point values. Otherelements are selected in steps 2313, 2315, 2317, 2319 and 2321 based onother measured (or non-measured) parameters of the foot. For example,once the frame size is selected (for example, group size 1, 2, 3, 4) anexpert system according to the present invention will enter an iterativeprocess where one or more footwear components such as the insole, archsupport, and a gel piece are selected based on a person's informationrelating to foot characteristics. The expert system selects differentcombinations of components and analyzes the result relative to themeasured and non-measured information obtained, in order to optimize acombination for the customer. This is performed for the left foot andfor the right foot, and an analysis for both feet can be performed.Rather than a linear process, many scenarios are played out in a dynamicprocess that selects an optimal combination of components to fit thecustomer. As part of this process, non-measured preferences of acustomer may be considered. The present inventors have recognized thatwhat is measured tends to be related to what a customer prefers. Forexample, if a person is measured to have high pressure zones, the personwill probably like a little bit of that in their shoe because they areused to it.

As one example of how the expert system actually matches up the user'sfoot with the various components, a foot may be measured at size 10.5,which is right at the dividing zone between group 3 and group 4 shoeshell, for example. So for length the group 3 shoe shell may be given a“5” score and the group 4 shoe a “3” score. For selection of the insole,because insole is technically linked to width, if the measured width ismedium, then medium width insole will be given a “5” while a narrow gets“2” score wide gets a “3” score (wide may get a “2” score also,depending on actual measurements. Next, if the person's arch is measuredas exactly an X configuration, an arch support component having thisconfiguration gets a “5” score and the half X configuration gets a “3”score.

With these ratings of different components given, the expert system maydetermine that the person's standing position scan shows that theperson's foot elongates to an 11.5. This indicates that a lot ofpressure is being placed in the toe area and the group 4 shoe may jumpup in score and the group 3 score retards a little bit. If a group 4shoe shell (larger length and girth is favored, it may need to beaccompanied by a little bit thicker insole and so the insole scorechanges. Thus, as each characteristic of the wearer is considered, thescores for each footwear component are updated and a preferredcombination will emerge. For most people, there is going to be adefinite preference for the consumer when he goes into that particularcombination. This is particularly true if the increments of variation inthe shoe components are very small. The end objective of the expertsystem is to get the overall tension of the shoe to match the overall 3Dstructure of a person's foot in its fully dynamic configuration;standing, sitting, walking. This is best performed in an iterativeengine rather than a simple category assignment such as that discussedin FIGS. 19 a and 19 b. Moreover, as discussed above, the expert systemcan take into consideration not only measurement data but alsonon-measurement data such as when the customer is sitting at measurementkiosk he or she might type into the kiosk that he prefers a stiffer archor he is a very fast, heavy walker, heavy footed walker etc. The expertsystem of the present invention can take this information intoconsideration in selecting footwear components for a customer.

As seen in FIG. 23, the elastic deformation step 2323 may optionally beincluded in an embodiment of the invention. This step allows footwearcomponents of a shoe to be constructed with different elasticdeformation characteristics. In one embodiment, the conventional lace ofa shoe may be diverted from the parallel lines of eyelets that close theshoe to a set of eyelets on another part of the upper, such as the archarea on the medial side. This allows the shoe upper to be pulled in adesired direction to conform to the wearer's foot. In anotherembodiment, the conventional laces can be separate from other laces thatprovide elastic deformation.

According to one embodiment, a particular pattern of lacing may providea particular amount of spring rate or a particular amount of tensionaround the wearer's foot. When information is collected about goingthrough the dynamics of running or jumping or playing tennis, there arecertain areas that desirably are held tight and there are other areasthat are desirably left loose to let the wearer's foot drift. Byaltering the lacing pattern, you can get differential deformation or aidone area to really hold tight because it would cause injury and let anarea drift because it adds to comfort or actually allows the athlete toput his foot in a preferential position for hitting the backhand orstriking the golf ball. This deformation can enable engineering ofdifferent deformation rates in the different areas of the shoe. In oneembodiment, a user can lace down and grab that particular area with thelace to provide a shoe that's acting completely different than the sameshoe laced down in a different pattern which is maybe skipping everythird element or every second element or skipping a crucial element andnot lacing around a particular extension area that another athlete doesbecause he has either a different foot shape or a different rate ofelongation when he plays that particular sport.

In still another embodiment of step 2323, a lace can be tied to aninternal footwear component such as the metatarsal rise so as to changethe impact response of such a component. Generally, the presentinvention contemplates using laces not only for closing the shoe, but tocontrol the rotation of your foot in the upper of the shoe by changingthe deformation, or the elastic deformation, by using the laces to grabdifferent elements. The present inventors have recognized thatrelatively small forces applied to the side of the upper can be muchmore effective in customizing the shoe than are forces applied from thebottom of the shoe such as by modifying the sole assembly.

Step 2325 provides an out of stock warning if the combination ofcomponents selected by the expert system includes a component that isout of stock in the retail store. In one embodiment, the expert systemmay be consulted to select a different combination of available footwearcomponents.

In step 2327, the expert system may conclude that the foot measured hasunique features that warrant a medical warning. In particular themeasuring station can recommend a medical consultation for a limitedclass of people that could benefit from a true medical diagnosis, whichcan aid in determining where collective elements could be placed to makethe shoe fit and feel better. The expert system itself does not providea diagnosis, but rather recommends that the customer seek one. In oneembodiment, the practitioner could fit the customer with a customorthotic made specifically for the shoe of the retailer or manufacturersystem that referred the customer, as described above with respect toFIG. 20.

Still further, step 2329 may inform a sales person that the sizescalculated by the expert system are not available from the manufacturer.Once a preferred combination of footwear components is selected, thiscombination is sent to the cobbler station where the components areassembled as shown in FIG. 24.

As seen in FIG. 24, the combination of components is assembled in step2401, and the customer tries on the shoe and provides feedback in step2403. A retail sales representative may input the customer feedback tothe expert system so that the system can adjust the rating values ofcomponents in step 2405, and calculate a new fitting solution as shownin step 2407. A new shoe is created and tried by the customer as shownin step 2409.

One aspect of the present invention provides an expansion members forexpanding the sole assembly. The present inventors have recognized thatthis can aid in foot function as follows. One function of an ergonomicshoe, by virtue of it unique design, is to better adapt to diverse footsizes present in the American population while keeping stock inventoriesminimal and at the same time adapting to the ever changing size andposition of the feet throughout the day. The expansion members aredesigned to accommodate foot length, forefoot width and midfoot girth.The foot is a dual functioning appendage of the body which is designedto absorb kinetic loading which occurs during the heel strike or contactphase of the human gait cycle. At heel contact, the shoe's role isgenerally limited to providing good heel shock absorption along with acoaptive cradle capable of snugly gripping the heel prior to forefootcontact.

After the forefoot begins to load (the beginning of the midstance phaseof human gait), the shoe plays a vital role in helping control the trimotion changes which occurs as the foot pronates or collapses againstreactive floor resistance. A series of tri motion mechanical eventsoccurs when the foot pronates, (as closed kinetic chain interlockingbegins). At the same time, the midfoot (arch), lowers as the linearimpaction of the body against the floor occurs, (Midtarsal JointPronation). In the act of foot pronation, the foot elongates as the archcollapses leading to a mechanical demand for the shoe to accommodate forthis elongation.

At the same time, weight bearing along the plantar forefoot (MetatarsalPhalangeal Joints) causes the forefoot to widen or expand as the footfurther adapts to the stress of body weight against the floor,(reciprocal or reactive kinetic stress loading). In one aspect of theinvention, the inventors have designed the shoe(s) to expand toaccommodate for these biomechanical positional (oint alignment changes)and structural (osseous or bony changes). This makes the shoe unique init ability to adapt to the trimotion changes that occurs throughout thegait cycle.

To further create a unique custom demand in the shoe evolution, itshould be able to accommodate for other anatomical foot characteristics.In addition, there are different types of feet which either accelerateor minimize further expansive changes of the feet. When we evaluate foottypes, we have three primary foot characteristics, namely flexible feet(hypermobile) and rigid feet. Within these two categories, we have lowarch (low girth) feet also known ad Pes Planus, normal arch feet or PesRectus and High arch high girth feet or Pes Cavus. These conditions addmore demands for a shoe which has been answered in the inventors design.

Dorsal variety of strategically placed expansion members allow forforefoot widening and adaptive girth changes to occur. The outersoleexpansion member allows for foot elongation during the midstance phaseof the gait cycle. These features makes the shoe(s) unique in itsability to prevent injuries, reduce fatigue, and reduce disease of thefoot.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is thereforeto be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

1. A computer implemented method used for creating a custom footwearproduct, the method comprising: inputting in a retail store informationabout a characteristic of a consumer that relates to the consumer'sfoot; receiving in the retail store a determination of a plurality ofselected pre fabricated footwear components that have been selectedbased the information; and creating in the retail store a kit ofprefabricated footwear components for the customer including theidentified prefabricated footwear components to be assembled into thecustom footwear product.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein saidinputting comprises inputting a measured characteristic of the consumerfrom a measuring device.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said measuredcharacteristic comprises at least one of two dimensional footmeasurements, three dimensional foot measurements, pressure pointmeasurements, weight measurements, or gait length measurements.
 4. Themethod of claim 2, wherein said inputting comprises optically scanningthe consumer's foot to obtain scan data for inputting.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, further comprising performing lossless image correction of thescan data.
 6. The method of claim 4, further comprising determiningrelative pressures across the consumer's foot based on said scan data.7. The method of claim 4, further comprising establishing foot depthtopology based on said scan data.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein saidinputting comprises providing at least one of an audio or video requestfor the consumer to input a non-measured characteristic to a system. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein said non-measured characteristiccomprises a medical diagnosis, biomechanical problems, demographicinformation, customer habit information, customer activity levelinformation or customer preference information.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving said determination from atleast one of a remote system or a local system within the retail store.11. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises determiningsaid plurality of selected pre fabricated footwear components based on adatabase of consumer characteristics each stored in association with atleast one pre fabricated footwear component.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein said receiving comprises determining said plurality of selectedpre fabricated footwear components based on an iterative expert systemfor determining the pre fabricated footwear components.
 13. The methodof claim 12, wherein said determining comprises determining at least oneof foot elongation or foot spread based on a comparison of dimensionalscan data obtained while the consumer is sitting and dimensional scandata obtained while the consumer is standing.
 14. The method of claim12, wherein said determining comprises determining at least one of footmobility or flexibility based on a comparison of pressure scan dataobtained while the consumer is sitting and pressure scan data obtainedwhile the consumer is standing.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein saiddetermining comprises determining pounds of pressure per unit area basedon pressure data and weight data obtained during scanning.
 16. Themethod of claim 12, wherein said determining comprises selecting saidpre manufactured footwear components based on at least one of footelongation, foot spread, foot mobility, foot flexibility or pounds ofpressure per unit area.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein said creatingcomprises providing a printed list of the prefabricated footwearcomponents.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein said creating comprisesproviding a video display of the prefabricated footwear components. 19.The method of claim 1, further comprising providing instructions forassembling the pre fabricated footwear components into a custom footwearproduct.
 20. A computer system used for creating a custom footwearproduct, the system comprising: an input device provided in a retailstore and configured to input information about a characteristic of aconsumer that relates to the consumer's foot; a processor provided inthe retail store and configured to receive a determination of aplurality of selected pre fabricated footwear components that have beenselected based the information; and an output device provided in theretail store and configured to provide a kit of prefabricated footwearcomponents for the customer including the identified prefabricatedfootwear components to be assembled into the custom footwear product.21. The system of claim 20, wherein said input device comprises ameasurement device configured to input measured characteristics to saidsystem.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein said measurement devicecomprises an optical scanner.
 23. The system of claim 20, wherein saidinput device comprises a keypad configured to receive manual inputs fromthe consumer.
 24. A computer system used for creating a custom footwearproduct, the system comprising: means provided in a retail store forinputing information about a characteristic of a consumer that relatesto the consumer's foot; means provided in the retail store for receivinga determination of a plurality of selected pre fabricated footwearcomponents that have been selected based the information; and meansprovided in the retail store for providing a kit of prefabricatedfootwear components for the customer including the identifiedprefabricated footwear components to be assembled into the customfootwear product.
 25. A computer readable medium containing programinstructions for execution on a computer system, which when executed bythe computer system, cause the computer system to perform stepscomprising: inputting in a retail store information about acharacteristic of a consumer that relates to the consumer's foot;receiving in the retail store a determination of a plurality of selectedpre fabricated footwear components that have been selected based theinformation; and creating in the retail store a kit of prefabricatedfootwear components for the customer including the identifiedprefabricated footwear components to be assembled into the customfootwear product.